The new water bills arrived across Port Avery this week, and the phone lines at the utility’s office have been busy since. The total has risen by about nine percent for a typical household, but most of the rise sits in a single line.

The standing charge, which every home pays whatever it uses, went up by a fifth. The utility says the money goes to replacing the Victorian mains under the old town, where a burst pipe flooded Wren Square last winter.

Three numbers are worth checking: the meter reading, which is sometimes estimated; the number of people the bill assumes live in your home; and the sewerage line, which you can reduce if your roof water runs into your garden rather than the drain.