Troubled Thames Water has put forward new plans to boost spending and investment in its network, but warned this could see customer bills surge by 44%.The group, which is battling to survive amid a funding crisis, has proposed increasing spending by £1.1 billion and revealed another potential £1.9 billion investment in its network as part of new business plans to regulator Ofwat.The utility giant - Britain's biggest water firm, with 16 million customers in London and the Thames Valley region - s

Troubled Thames Water has put forward new plans to boost spending and investment in its network, but warned this could see customer bills surge by 44%.The group, which is battling to survive amid a funding crisis, has proposed increasing spending by £1.1 billion and revealed another potential £1.9 billion investment in its network as part of new business plans to regulator Ofwat.The utility giant - Britain's biggest water firm, with 16 million customers in London and the Thames Valley region - said its new business plan for the five years to 2030 would see spending rise to £19.8 billion, with the extra being used for environmental projects.