Three major bottled water firms in Saudi Arabia have surprised consumers by raising the prices of 5-litre bottles by up to SR2, a report said.

The increase is as a result of the high demand for bottled water during this season, the Arab News report quoted companies as saying.

Experts and investors in the bottled water business said there was an increase of 7 percent in water consumption across the Saudi market during the summer season and the month of Ramadan, which also coincided with the Umrah and Haj seasons.