Tuesday 10 January 2023

HOUSEHOLDS spent 80 per cent more boiling their kettles last year while the yearly cost of using a dishwasher went up from £133 in 2021 to £237 in 2022, according to research from Yorkshire Water. The company said that although water rates have stayed the same over the last year, the cost of using it in the home has gone up due to gas and electricity prices rocketing. 

Their calculations found that running a bath is the most expensive domestic use of water, costing £542.88 in 2022, a 79% rise since the 2021 figure of £303.70. Using a washing machine cost £222.77 in 2022 – an annual increase of 95%, while boiling a kettle cost households £18.69 compared with £10.37 in 2021 – an 80% increase. 

Yorkshire Water’s “Teapot Index” says these costs are predicted to increase by an average of 18% in 2023 while the cost of running a bath is predicted to almost double to £1,023. Their research said the average household could save £700 a year with steps including halving shower times to four minutes. 

SOME POLICE officers in East Yorkshire are needing food donations from a new scheme, launched by the Humberside Police Federation, to help them manage. Federation chair Lee Sims said: “Police officers like everyone else are struggling. We were made aware that quite a few officers were using food banks so we decided that we would start a ‘feed your kid for a quid’ campaign.”

He continued: “We’re about 25 per cent behind inflation over the last ten to 12 years. When we first started we made tinned foods and pasta available but when we started speaking to the members we asked them what they wanted and they came in and said maybe for the children maybe a dessert. That’s why we put in custard and biscuits.”