Household bills 'cost £15,000 a year'
British households spend an average £12,000 per year on mortgage payments and over £3,000 on other bills, Citizens Advice has claimed.According to the charity, families are paying £40 per day on the bills - putting an increasing strain on their budgets.Most energy firms have already announced 15 per cent price rises on general plans - and water regulator Ofwat also said last week that customers' bills would increase above inflation next month.Council tax is also on the rise - with a 25 per cent increase in customers contacting Citizens Advice bureaux with concerns about the levy.Five years ago, the £15,000 paid out on bills by families stood at just £9,000.Moira Haynes at Citizens Advice commented: "Our debt inquiry figures suggest that growing numbers of people are not only finding themselves over-committed on credit cards, loans and overdrafts, but are also struggling to meet day-to-day living expenses. "Any increases in household bills are going to add to the pressure on people whose finances are already stretched to the limit."
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