Good afternoon. Water companies in england and wales have been ordered to repay nearly £158 Million to their customers. The Regulator Ofwat says its because the firms have failed to meet performance targets such as cutting Sewage Spills and leaks. Some future Water Bills will be reduced to reflect the missed targets. Our Environment Correspondent Jonah Fisher reports. A warning this report contains flashing images. This Report Card does not make pleasant reading for the Water Companies. Targets for reducing leaks are not being hit, the number of Pollution Incidents has hardly changed in the last five years and Customer Satisfaction has continued to fall. Three Water Companies anglian, southern and welsh are rated bottom of the class. The others are just average, with none rated in the top category. So we think the sector suffers from a culture of poor performance, that companies are not taking responsibility for their performance. They are too often blaming the weather or the circumst
On the government to ban flavoured and Disposable Vapes to protect children against what they say is a growing epidemic in the uk. A bill aimed at restricting the Sale And Marketing of vapes, especially to children, Ran Out Of Time to pass into law under the last government. The British Medical Association says bold action is needed. Heres our Health Reporter michelle roberts. According to the latest estimates, around 8 of 11 to 17 year olds vape. Although its already illegal to sell E Cigarettes to anyone under 18, the British Medical Association says more needs to be done, and quickly, to protect children and young people from a vape epidemic. The bma wants Disposable Vapes and all flavoured ones to be banned. Its also calling for curbs on how vapes are marketed and sold, similar to cigarettes, with plain packaging and products kept behind the counter. If youre stopping smoking, you need a tobacco flavoured vape to jUst transfer from one to another. There is no need for any of the co
And charities are meeting with ministers to discuss the difficult winter ahead. Energy bills will rise again in october, when the Price Cap increases by 10 . Rachel reeves said she had to take difficult decisions in very challenging circumstances. The conservatives are calling for her to scrap the changes. Our political correspondent Iain Watson reports. Energy prices are increasing and so is the pressure on the government to help those who are struggling to pay their bills. We are bracing ourselves for a really difficult winter. We are already seeing Record Numbers of people coming to us with Energy Debt in the height of summer. That is only going to get worse when the energy Price Cap rises. From october, the Energy Regulator Ofgem is allowing prices to rise by 10 , and that represents bills of more than 1700 a year for a typical household. This morning, the government brought together big Energy Companies, the regulator, and Citizens Advice Bureau to discuss what more could be done
With editing, adding she was sorry for any confusion it caused the mothers day image taken by the prince of wales was withdrawn by various global photo agencies after suspicions that a number of edits may have been made. And king charles has thanked the public for their support. In a video message to a service celebrating commonwealth day, the queen joined the prince of wales at Westminster Abbey for todays service. This years event drew on the theme of resilience against a backdrop of Health Worries in the family. Queen camilla also attended a reception at marlborough house in london, where she met south african dancers and members of a samoan band and though he missed todays event, the king reaffirmed his commitment to the 56 member countries. As ive said before, the commonwealth is like the wiring of a house and its people are energy and our ideas are the current that runs through those wires together and individually. We are strengthened by sharing perspectives and experiences. My