Average water bills in England and Wales will increase by 36% over the next five years, water regulator Ofwat has said. Water companies had asked for an average rise of 40%. It comes as almost 60,000 homes across Hampshire are without water because of a "technical issue" at a Southern Water supply works.
Ofwat said the increase would pay for a £104 billion upgrade of the water sector
Bin collections will be disrupted over Christmas just as the amount of waste produced surges.