chris waters is the price review director at ofwat. bills will rise by — review director at ofwat._ review director at ofwat. bills will rise by £31 per year - review director at ofwat. e: ii; will rise by £31 per year over the next five years to find record levels of investment, £104 billion, the biggest five—year investment programme in waste water since privatisation, that is needed to safeguard the waters and rivers and to improve the resilience of our water supplies and you have reported from southern water about the importance of that this morning, and to get companies to raise their game on their day—to—day performance in areas that matter to customers, and the environment. bills will rise to find that and i know thatis rise to find that and i know that is a concern for many customers and part of myjob involves engaging with customers and their representatives and i have heard those concerns first hand and i understand them and that is why today we are also announcing record levels of support for customers. we have introduced controls to guarantee that customers money will b

the regulator ofwat has said the rise will pay for upgrades to infrastructure and a reduction in sewageout water today. southern water says it's "very sorry" for the disruption. our business editor, simonjack, reports. if you wanted an example of the problems facing the water industry, this is it. nearly 60,000 homes around the southampton area are left without water supply, with many schools and businesses forced to shut. southern water said the problem had been caused by a technical issue, leaving many customers high and dry. it's really frustrating, we can't do anything. we can't flush our toilets, we can't, you know, have showers, nothing. so, yeah, it's not very nice. quite frustrating, especially because the little ones' school is closed as well and it's nativity season. i'm a plumber, i can't even get water! - and those are southern water customers who are facing the biggest increase in bills over the next five years, with a hike of 53%. debt—laden thames water's increase of 35% is short of the 53% they asked for. the ones in blue are for water only not waste as well, and bear in

the regulator, ofwat, has been deciding how much water companies can increase bills by in april, to improvewhere you live. our business editor, simonjack has the details. what water everywhere. as an island nation it is all around ups but for many, our seaside and rivers give off left —— less a sense of security than a sense of risk. twice a week rebecca sin cara and her action

and for the last five years, and the five years before that, ofwat has systematically cut those investmentsevery year in real terms. so how come so many of our waterways, our rivers, our beaches, our entire water system in such disrepair? is it poorly run companies? overpaid executives? greedy shareholders, bad regulation, climate change? in truth, it's some of all of those things over the years, but we are where we are. in a privatised system, it's hard to see how you fix it without putting up bills very significantly. the government says that even temporary nationalisation —— the government knows that people will balk at higher bills but are keen to stress they have taken measures to make sure higher bills don't trickle into dividends and salaries. how much savings would you have in your household? debt charities are warning these bill increases will heap further pressure on struggling households and are urging them to seek help. we've had a 25% increase in clients with debt issues this year alone. i don't think people are aware that if they contact their water companies they can actually

the regulator, ofwat, has been deciding how much water companies can increase bills by in april, to improve leaky pipes, reduce sewage spills and build new reservoirs. any increases will vary depending on where you live. our business editor, simonjack has the details. what water everywhere. as an island nation it is all around ups but for many, our seaside and rivers give off left —— less a sense of security than a sense of risk. twice a week rebecca sin cara and her action group members test the hastings shoreline and they feel let down and overcharged by the water companies. we down and overcharged by the water companies.— water companies. we are a coastal community - water companies. we are a coastal community and - water companies. we are a coastal community and we | coastal community and we absolutely rely on the sea. we have fishing industry, a tourist industry and a community that lives here that usesit community that lives here that uses it every day. we have a community that swims all year round and we rely on the health and safety of our water or our own well being as well as the

business secretary have all asked watchdogs , including ofgem asked watchdogs, including ofgem and ofwat, to propose pro—growth reforms by mid january. it follows figures that show the uk economy flatlined between july and september. labour, though, says it is pulling every lever to deliver the highest sustained economic growth in the g7. but the conservatives blame the government's policies for stalling progress. gb news can reveal today that 1300 migrants have now crossed the english channel since christmas day, as hundreds more crossed today. it comes as the home office confirmed 305 people arrived yesterday in five small boats. shadow home secretary chris philp has blamed sir keir starmer for scrapping conservative measures like the rwanda plan, saying that labour's approach is an insult to the british people. the prime minister, though, has promised to smash the gangs. but that comes as more than 22,000 people have so far arrived since he took office, up 25% on last yeah took office, up 25% on last year. those are the latest headunes year. those are the latest headlines for now. i'l

but the industry has welcomed ofwat�*s decision. we understand that bill rises are never welcome. have been falling. they're down about 25% since 2010. so we're trying to play catch up now. they're a bit less than what we'd asked for, and it will take time to study the full detail of what ofwat�*s decided this morning. but we're really hopeful that we can now get on and give people the investment that they so desperately want. there is help available for people who struggle to pay their bills. citizens advice says you should ask your water supplier. water firms now know they will have more money, but they'll also come under increasing pressure to clean up their act. theo leggett, bbc news. as theo mentioned there, thousands of homes in parts of hampshire are still without water this lunchtime. our reporter duncan kennedy is in eastleigh for us. duncan, the timing couldn't be worse really, what impact is this having? it's having a huge impact, something like 58,000 homes have been of supply since tuesday night. a bottled water plant, the word on everyone's lips is one of frustratio

even today, it was revealed keir starmer has embarrassingly ordered regulators such as ofgem and ofwato cough up their own ideas for reform that could boost economic growth. quite frankly, the government doesn't know what it's doing and i'll touch more on that at 10:00, which is why the country needs serious operators leading the fights from the opposition benches. kemeys. apparently, rash tweets about reform's membership numbers is the latest gaffe from a woman who prides herself on thinking deeply and not making mistakes. even before she was elected by members to lead the conservative party. she was forced to put out the flames of her own fire after calling maternity pay excessive. she later claimed her remarks had been misrepresented. then she embarrassingly tried to take keir starmer to task at pmqs a few weeks ago over wait for it immigration. >> so let's talk about immigration. he has relaunched yet again many new targets, six milestones, five missions. but why was cutting immigration not a priority? >> yeah, yeah, i'm glad she now wants to talk about immigration. last week she s

ofwat is already facing backlash, with liberal democrat environment spokesman tim farron describing thegulator as toothless and defunct. it comes as around 58,000 homes in hampshire are without water due to a technical issue. southern water is saying the response to the incident is being coordinated by the government. four teenage boys have been jailed for life for the murders of two best friends who were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity. mason rist, 15, and max dixon, 16, died from stab wounds after being chased by the four armed teenagers in knowle west area of bristol at about 11 pm. on the 27th of january this year. their attackers riley toliver, 18, cody westcott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named due to their age, had been dnven named due to their age, had been driven by anthony snook. all five were convicted of two counts of murder last month following a six week trial at bristol crown court. snook was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years. mason rist's uncle, david knight, spoke outside of court. >> no family should ev

ofwat is already facing backlash, with liberal democrat environment spokesman tim farron describing theulator as toothless and defunct. it comes as around 58,000 homes in hampshire are without water today due to a technical issue, according to southern water. the response to that incident is being coordinated by the government, while business secretary jonathan reynolds spoke about the increase earlier on. >> i think everyone recognises this is another absolutely dreadful inheritance the new government has and the changes that have been announced. the work that the department of the environment have been able to do on this means that we will tackle the horrendous problem of sewage in our waterways, that we will have a more efficient system. we will deliver the level of investment that is required, and we will make sure that money is no longer leached out of the system by way of bonuses and dividends. when a good service that the public deserve is not being provided. so it's a set of changes that deliver that long term investment that will make sure these problems, which the british publ

ofwat is already facing backlash, with liberal democrat environment spokesperson tim farron describingregulator as toothless and defunct. it comes as around 58,000 homes in hampshire are without water today due to a technical issue. southern water are saying the response to that incident is being coordinated by the government, while business secretary jonathan reynolds spoke about the increase earlier on. >> look, i think everyone recognises this is another absolutely dreadful inheritance the new government has and the changes that have been announced, the work that the department of the environment have been able to do on this means that we will tackle the horrendous problem of sewage in our waterways, that we will have a more efficient system. we'll deliver the level of investment thatis deliver the level of investment that is required, and we'll make sure that money is no longer leached out of the system by way of bonuses and dividends. when a good service that the public deserve is not being provided. so it's a set of changes that deliver that long term investment that will make su

ofwat is already facing backlash, with liberal democrat environment spokesperson tim farron mp describingulator as toothless and defunct. it comes as around 58,000 homes in hampshire are without water today due to a technical issue. southern water are saying the response to the incident is being coordinated by the government, while business secretary jonathan reynolds spoke about the increase earlier on. >> look, i think everyone recognises this is another absolutely dreadful inheritance the new government has and the changes that have been announced, the work that the department of the environment have been able to do on this means that we will tackle the horrendous problem of sewage in our waterways, that we will have a more efficient system. we will deliver the level of investment thatis deliver the level of investment that is required, and we will make sure that money is no longer leached out of the system by way of bonuses and dividends. when a good service that the pubuc when a good service that the public deserve is not being provided. so it's a set of changes that deliver that lon

the regulator, ofwat, will announce today how much water companies can increase bills by in april, touce leaks and sewage spills, and build new reservoirs. any increases will vary depending on where you live. our business editor, simonjack has this report. water, water everywhere. as an island nation, it's all around us. but for many, our seasides and rivers give off less a sense of security than a sense of risk. twice a week, rebecca sinker and herfellow action group members test the hastings shoreline for safety, and they feel let down and overcharged by the water companies. we're a coastal community and we absolutely rely on the sea. we've got a fishing industry, we've got a tourist industry, and the community that lives here uses the sea every day. we swim all year round. we absolutely rely on the health and safety of this water. the supplier to hastings, southern water, said it was working with action groups and agencies to protect and enhance sea water quality. for over a decade, water bills have risen more slowly than inflation, one reason for underinvestment in the infrastruct

and as starmer asks ofwat and ofgem for ideas on how to boost growth, was liz truss right after all? >> i'm afraid to say the right hon. gentleman doesn't understand aspiration. he doesn't understand opportunity. >> the proposed cost of giving away the chagos islands to mauritius has been revealed today, and the figure i promise will stun you. that's next. but first, your news headlines with sam francis. >> very good evening to you from the newsroom. the top story tonight, the prime minister, sir keir starmer and the king have paid tribute to the victims of a plane crash in south korea that killed all 179 passengers and crew on board the boeing jet, carrying 181 people, skidded off the runway, crashed and crashed into a fence and caught fire after its landing gear failed to deploy. emergency responders rescued two members of the crew. while investigators now consider factors like a possible bird strike that could have caused engine failure. while the crash is one of south korea's deadliest, with only the tail of the aircraft now remaining recognisable. earlier, travel and aviation ex

bills in england and wales are to rise by an average of 36% over the next five years, water regulator ofwat announced today. that's the equivalent of an extra £31 a year. the regulator said the increase would pay for £104 billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver substantial, lasting improvements for customers and the environment. four teenage boys have been detained for life for the murders of two best friends who were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity. mason rist, 15, and max dixon, 16, died from stab wounds after being chased by the four armed teenagers in the knowle west area of bristol on january 27th this year. their attackers, riley toliver, 18, cody westcott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named due to their age, have been driven by anthony snook, 45. all five were convicted of two counts of murder last month following a six week trial at bristol crown court. snook was was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years. mason rice uncle david knight spoke outside of court. >> no family should ever have to go through what our two f

water regulator ofwat has announced today that's the equivalent of an extra £31 a yeah equivalent ofra £31 a year. the regulator said the increase would pay for £104 billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver substantial, lasting improvements for customers and the environment. four teenage boys have been jailed for life for the murders of two best friends, who were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity. mason rist, 15, and max dixon, 16, died from stab wounds after being chased by the four armed teenagers in the knowle west area of bristol on 27th january this year. their attackers riley toliver, 18, cody westcott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named due to their age, have been driven by anthony snook. all five were convicted of two counts of murder last month following a six week trial at bristol crown court. snook was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years. mason reece, uncle david spoke outside of court. >> no family should ever have to go through what our two families have gone through. these juveniles have not only destroy

the regulator, ofwat, has already blocked thames from using bills payers money for bonuses and will decideweek if the new proposed increases can go ahead. critics , though, blame the water critics, though, blame the water industry's focus on profits for decades of neglect, with unions now calling for thames water to be taken back into public ownership. the firm, though, insists higher bills are crucial to secure funding and avoid running out of money by early next year . six people have been next year. six people have been charged with being members of a banned kurdistan terror group following an investigation by counter—terrorism police, the metropolitan police say the individuals, aged between 23 and 62, will appear at westminster magistrates court on tuesday. the kurdistan workers party, known as pkk , banned in the uk known as pkk, banned in the uk since 2001, has waged an armed separatist campaign in turkey since the 1980s. officers have thanked the kurdish community in london for their patience during their ongoing inquiries. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, is set to beg

the regulator, ofwat, is expected to approve those increases this week, with some providers pushing forteeper rises of up to 84%. laboun steeper rises of up to 84%. labour, though, says the extra money will be ring fenced for fixing pipes and building reservoirs, with any unused funds returned to customers. new laws are also being introduced to force water bosses to report sewage leaks, with tougher penalties for non—compliance. those are the latest headlines for now. i'll be back with you in an hour. now, though, it's back over to michael for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code or go to. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> thank you very much, sam. a key to margaret thatcher's success was boosting the property owning democracy. it was assumed that home owners were more likely to be tory and to breed conservative voters for future elections. britain used to have one of the highest rates of home ownership, but the proportion has sunk, and many young voters now see little hope of stepping onto the ownership ladden of

prime minister, the chancellor and business secretary have all asked watchdogs, including ofgem and ofwato propose pro—growth reforms by mid—january. it follows figures that show the uk economy flatlined between july and september. labour, though, says it is pulling every lever to deliver the highest sustained economic growth in the g7. but the conservatives blame the government's policies for stalling progress. gb news can reveal today that 1300 migrants have now crossed the english channel since christmas day, as hundreds more crossed today. it comes as the home office confirmed 305 people arrived yesterday in five small boats. shadow home secretary chris philp has blamed sir keir starmer for scrapping conservative measures like the rwanda plan, saying that labour's approach is an insult to the british people. the prime minister, though, has promised to smash the gangs. but that comes as more than 22,000 people have so far arrived since he took office, up 25% on last yeah took office, up 25% on last year. us president elect donald trump has made a last minute plea to the supreme court t

bills in england and wales are to rise by an average of 36% over the next five years, water regulator ofwat announced today. that's the equivalent of an extra £31 a year. the regulator said the increase would pay for £104 billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver substantial, lasting improvements for customers and the environment. four teenage boys have been detained for life for the murders of two best friends who were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity. mason rist, 15, and max dixon, 16, died from stab wounds after being chased by the four armed teenagers in the knowle west area of bristol at about 11 pm. on 27th of january this year. their attackers, riley toliver, 18, cody westcott, 17, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named due to their age, had been dnven due to their age, had been driven by anthony snook, 45. all five were convicted of two counts of murder last month following a six week trial at bristol crown court. snook was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years. mason risks uncle david knight spoke outside of court. >> no fami

the regulator, ofwat, is expected to approve the increases this week, with some providers pushing foreven steeper rises, some of up to 84%. the government, though, says the extra money will be ring fenced for fixing pipes and building reservoirs, with any unused funds refunded to customers. new laws are also being introduced to force water bosses to report sewage leaks, with tough penalties for non—compliance. and before i hand you back to darren news just into us from an area in the black sea where two russian tankers have reportedly sunk, spilling a large amount of oil and leaving almost 30 crew members stranded. that incident took place amid a heavy storm in the kerch strait, which separates russia from occupied crimea. we're hearing at least one crew member is believed to have died so far. authorities also investigating possible criminal negligence. some unverified video appears to show one tanker split in half as oil starts to leak into the water. a rescue and clean up operation is now underway. more than 50 personnel on scene, including a number of tugboats and helicopters. at t

contacted the companies, including energy regulator ofgem and water regulator ofgem and water regulator ofwaton christmas eve. a woman has been charged with murdering a father of six on christmas day in staffordshire. police were called to a report of a man in cardiac arrest at about 3:25 am. on wednesday. they said despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died a short time later. 33 year old kirsty careless has now been charged with murdering 31 year old louis price. gb news can confirm that 1300 migrants have now crossed the english channel since christmas day, as hundreds more crossed today. it comes as the home office confirmed 305 arrived yesterday in five small boats. more than 400 also made illegal crossings on boxing day and 451 on christmas day. that now takes the total number who have arrived in the uk this year to more than 336, rather than 5000 500,000, a 20% rise on last year's total. and us president elect donald trump has made a last minute plea to get the supreme court to delay an upcoming nationwide tiktok ban while he works on a political resolution. congress had passed