LONDON (Reuters) -British utility Thames Water lodged an appeal to the country's competition regulator on Friday, beginning a process to try to raise the prices it can charge customers for the next five years and improve its chances of survival.

Thames Water asks watchdog to let it charge even higher bills - It said steeper increases than the 35% already granted over the next five years is ‘in the interests of our customers and the environment’.

Industry regulator Ofwat has capped bill rises for the firm at 35% over the next five years. Thames Water has now urged the competition regulator to overturn the decision from the