£6.85bn bills hike facing UK's struggling families

MILLIONS of struggling families are facing further financial misery this week.

- BY GILES SHELDRICK

Household bills are forecast to rise by a collective £6.85billion as revised rates and utility demands land on doormats.

The fresh blow comes amid a strangulating cost-of-living crisis, with 62% of Britons now worried they cannot cover rising costs, as consumer confidence in the economy plunges to its lowest level since 2022.

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride warned: “April is shaping up to be Labour’s most painful month in office.”

From Wednesday, a raft of inflation-busting charges will pile further pressure on squeezed households and businesses still reeling from £66bn of tax rises in the two years since Labour took office.