Andy Burnham's vow to bring down the cost of living was in tatters yesterday after the water regulator announced bills will rise again for more than 30million people.

Millions of households are set for fresh hike to their rates after Ofwat, the industry watchdog, approved a new increase in charges to fund £3.4billion in investment.

Some households are set to see increases to their bills after Ofwat gave suppliers the provisional go-ahead for an extra £3.4 billion in spending.