Number of English and Welsh struggling to pay water bill up 33% - regulator

Reuters
·1 min read
A sign warning not to drink water is seen on a fountain in London

LONDON (Reuters) - There has been a 33% increase in the number of people in England and Wales struggling to pay their water bills since May, according to a report by the industry regulator on Wednesday, as the rising cost of living continues to impact household budgets.

Ofwat, which regulates water utilities in England and Wales, said a Savanta survey of 2,328 bill payers carried out from Oct. 4 to 13 found the proportion of customers who said they were struggling to pay their water bill was 20%, up from 15% in May.

More broadly, Ofwat's research found energy bills remained consumers' top concern, with 37% of respondents saying they were struggling to pay their gas bill, up from 29% in May, and 35% their electricity bill, up from 27% previously.

Of those who struggled to pay household bills, 33% said they asked to borrow money from friends or family, 17% had used credit cards to pay bills and 13% had taken out a short-term loan.

British consumer price inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1% in October, largely due to a surge in energy prices, as well as post-pandemic bottlenecks and labour shortages.

The watchdog also said two-thirds of those surveyed expected their situation to worsen in the coming year.

(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Mark Potter)

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Driver dragged officer while fleeing traffic stop: Sussex RCMP

    Police in Sussex say a 23-year-old being arrested during a traffic stop took off and dragged a police officer about 20 metres alongside his vehicle. Colton Bernard, 23, of St. George Street in Sussex, was charged Monday with obstruction of a peace officer, assault on a police officer, flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle dating to April 11, according to court documents. In a release Wednesday from Sussex RCMP, police say that on April 11, officers responded to a driving

  • Central Elgin gets $80M in offsets for land lost to VW mega-factory

    Millions in cash, a big key to unlock future growth – and provincial muscle to help. "Frustrated" only weeks ago by what he called the slow pace of compensation talks, after his municipality lost a big chunk of land to neighbouring St. Thomas to help it land a $7-billion Volkswagen factory, Central Elgin's mayor was in a much better mood after an "historic" deal with the city was announced Friday. “I feel a lot better today than I did a month ago,” Andrew Sloan said. “I think there were some del

  • Protesters Chant 'From the River to the Sea' on Harvard Campus

    Protesters gathered on Harvard University’s campus on Friday, April 19, one day after police arrested more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University in New York City.Footage taken by Shabbos Kestenbaum captures demonstrators chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” on Harvard’s campus on Friday afternoon. The phrase used among anti-Israel protesters was condemned earlier in the week by the US House of Representatives, which deemed the slogan antisemitic in a vote of 377-44.Other footage shows the group chanting, “F*** you, Harvard.”According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD arrested at least 108 protesters on Thursday involved in the ongoing protests at Columbia. Credit: Shabbos Kestenbaum via Storyful

  • WNBA moving date of its preseason game in Canada to avoid potential conflict with NHL playoffs

    EDMONTON, Canada (AP) — The WNBA is moving its preseason game in Canada between the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm to May 4. The game was originally scheduled for May 5 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, but the NHL’s Oilers could potentially be hosting a Game 7 of their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings that day. The WNBA game will tipoff at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The league is playing a preseason game in Canada for the second straight year. Last season, the Chicago Sky's win ove

  • Trump lawyers claim prosecutors want to ‘distract’ from hush money trial by ‘piling things on’ from other cases

    Judge Merchan will decide by Monday – when opening arguments in the hush money trial are expected to begin – what prosecutors can question Donald Trump about if he takes the stand to testify

  • At S$1.32, Is It Time To Put Food Empire Holdings Limited (SGX:F03) On Your Watch List?

    Food Empire Holdings Limited ( SGX:F03 ), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a decent share price growth of 17...

  • Gutter Freedom | Morning Blend

    Gutter Freedom and Home can help you protect your home this spring.

  • Oxford shuts down institute run by Elon Musk-backed philosopher

    Nick Bostrom’s Future of Humanity Institute closed this week in what Swedish-born philosopher says was ‘death by bureaucracy’

  • West Virginia will not face $465M COVID education funds clawback after feds OK waiver, governor says

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Gov. Jim Justice announced Friday that West Virginia will not face a clawback of $465 million in COVID-19 money from the U.S. Department of Education, alleviating concerns raised by state lawmakers during the final days of the legislative session in March. The Republican governor said in a statement that federal officials approved the state's application for a waiver for the money, which was a portion of the more than a billion dollars in federal aid the state received t

  • Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. heads into playoffs against Lakers after trying week for family

    DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr.'s coaches and teammates are rallying behind the Denver Nuggets starting forward who's had a trying week as the NBA's reigning champions head into their playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Porter, 25, missed practice Friday to attend his younger brother Coban's sentencing in a drunken driving crash that killed a 42-year-old woman last year. Coban Porter, 22, a former guard at the University of Denver, received a six-year jail sentence, which came two da

  • Model sailboat stolen from Old Key Lime House recovered

    A model sailboat stolen from a popular waterfront restaurant in Lantana has been returned to the owner.

  • CITY Furniture | Morning Blend

    CITY Furniture is working to go carbon neutral by the year 2040. This is a three-part journey involving a green delivery fleet, smart facilities, and large-scale recycling efforts.

  • Oklahoma City remembers victims of bombing 29 years later

    Oklahomans paused Friday to remember the 168 lives lost and those who survived the Murrah Federal Building bombing 29 years ago.

  • Remembering Cassie Bernall | Columbine 25 years

    In honor of the victims of Columbine on the occasion of 25 years since the tragedy, these are the inscriptions on each plaque provided by the Columbine Memorial Foundation. This is Cassie Bernall’s tribute.

  • Morning fog, tracking showers and storms, and much cooler air this weekend

    Meteorologist Devon Lucie steps us through the weekend forecast, first letting you know where fog could be a concern on Saturday morning, then tracking fronts that will bring rain chances for both Saturday and Sunday letting you know when rain/storms are most likely where you are, and how they'll affect temperatures each day, while finally turning to what's in store for temperatures and rain chances next week!

  • U.S. FAA to probe baseball coach in cockpit during a flight from Denver to Toronto

    LOS ANGELES — Authorities in the United States are investigating after a video surfaced on social media of a hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies sitting in the cockpit of an aircraft "at cruise altitude," while bound for Toronto. A statement from the Federal Aviation Administration says an investigation is underway but it will not comment further while the process is ongoing. The comments come after a post on social media platform X showed a video allegedly taken from the Instagram account of

  • Dave & Buster’s hiring for over 180 roles in Port St. Lucie

    Dave & Buster’s hiring for over 180 roles in Port St. Lucie

  • Jameson Taillon comes off the injured list and pitches Cubs to 8-3 win, dropping Marlins to 4-16

    CHICAGO (AP) — Jameson Taillon allowed one run over five innings in his first start this season after recovering from a strained back, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 8-3 on Friday. Nico Hoerner doubled twice for the Cubs, who have won five of six. Miami fell to an NL-worst 4-16. Taillon (1-0), in the second season of a $68 million, four-year contract, did not pitch in any spring training games, then made a pair of minor league rehab outings on April 7 and 12. The 32-year-old right-h

  • Here’s how Phish is using the Sphere's technology to give fans something completely different

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — Phish opened its four-night stay at the Sphere Thursday with a four-hour show that used the advanced technology in the $2.3 billion arena to deliver a show that even the band's most ardent fans have never experienced before. “We came in really wanting to do a show that was a great Phish show,” said Abigail Rosen Holmes, who is running the visual show. She said the band and its creative team wanted to mix the Sphere’s technical capabilities and consider “what can we do for Phish

  • Mama Bear Saves Cub After Plummet Into River

    A mama bear sprang into action to rescue her cub after it fell from a railway bridge into a river in Plymouth, Connecticut, footage posted on April 17 shows.Tyler Nolan and his family captured this dramatic video that shows the bears atop a railway bridge over the Pequabuck River in the village of Terryville.“While walking our dog in a field nearby my house, we noticed the dog acting erratically,” Nolan told Storyful.“After noticing this behavior change, we saw a mama bear. To be safe, we returned to the house and grabbed the car to get a better view from a safer spot. When we returned, we noticed the mama bear had a cub,” he said.The adult bear can be seen interacting with her cub before the baby drops off the bridge into the river below.“We kept recording. You can hear the mama bear in distress, making grunting sounds and worried. It finally jumped into the river. It got the cub, and retreated back on to the shore.”Nolan said the pair seemed unharmed and that they disappeared into the woods shortly after. Credit: Tyler Nolan via Storyful