1 IN 5 STRUGGLING TO PAY WATER BILL

Plea for a national social tariff to aid poor families

- BY GRAHAM HISCOTT Head of Business

APRIL'S inflation-busting price hikes have left nearly one in five households battling to pay their water bills in the past year.

A report out today by Citizens Advice says a growing number have been forced to slash other outgoings, including food and energy, and in many cases ration their water use.

For almost a third of those struggling, the problems started when the bills leapt by an average of £123 per year from April, and up to £224 in the case of some suppliers.

Ironically, water companies, slammed for years of bumper fatcat pay and shareholder rewards, argued the increases were needed to fund decades of under-investment.