:00:07. > :00:11.Good evening. �15 is being added to all our water bills because of
:00:11. > :00:14.people who can't, or won't, pay. For the water companies, non-
:00:14. > :00:17.payment is a growing problem because it's illegal to cut off the
:00:17. > :00:21.supply to a home. Here's our environment correspondent David
:00:21. > :00:24.Gregory. At Severn Trent Water in Coventry,
:00:24. > :00:34.they're walking a tricky line between customers who can't pay and
:00:34. > :00:38.
:00:38. > :00:41.customers who can pay, but refuse. It is difficult. All we are looking
:00:41. > :00:46.at is an account. We do not know what the best option is for them.
:00:46. > :00:49.We encourage people to speak to us as early as possible if they are
:00:49. > :00:59.struggling. Tell us their situation. We will then decide the best option
:00:59. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:04.for them. If we do not know, we cannot help. The government has
:01:05. > :01:09.just published its white paper on this issue. It is a problem that is
:01:09. > :01:13.getting worse. The cost of bad debt has been steadily rising, adding
:01:13. > :01:18.�11 to water bills five years ago and going up every year since until
:01:18. > :01:23.it now stands at �15 on every water bill in England. Consumer groups
:01:23. > :01:27.were also looking for action. Governments have put in place
:01:27. > :01:31.legislation already for water companies to develop these tariffs
:01:31. > :01:35.for people who cannot pay. We are working with the companies to do
:01:35. > :01:39.that. We were hoping for a bit more. There is helpful customers in the
:01:39. > :01:44.south-west because their bills are so high, but there is an
:01:44. > :01:49.affordability problem everywhere in the country. The solutions in the
:01:49. > :01:53.white paper do not let adequate for the size of the problem. In the
:01:53. > :01:57.meantime, it is ironic that the increased cost of paying for bad
:01:57. > :02:07.debt on water bills has the greatest effect on the poorest who
:02:07. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:12.are least able to pay. A man has been arrested after a
:02:12. > :02:15.woman was found dead in a car in Nuneaton in Warwickshire in the
:02:15. > :02:19.early hours of today. Her death is thought to be suspicious, but tests
:02:19. > :02:21.are still being carried out. The man, who is 31, is being questioned
:02:21. > :02:23.by police. A 48-year-old man has died while
:02:23. > :02:27.canoeing in Shropshire. Police said he was rescued by emergency
:02:27. > :02:29.services from a weir in the River Teme in Downton on the Rock, near
:02:29. > :02:32.Ludlow, this morning. Members of the public raised the alarm, but
:02:32. > :02:35.efforts to revive him failed. Ticket prices on public transport
:02:35. > :02:38.have gone up today. Rail fares have risen by 6%, bus companies
:02:38. > :02:41.increases are around 5%. National Express says their bus fare rise is
:02:41. > :02:44.simply because of increasing costs, while train companies say the money
:02:44. > :02:46.will be put into new trains, faster services and better stations. The
:02:46. > :02:49.move has been criticised by the West Midlands passenger group
:02:49. > :02:55.Travel Watch, which is calling for government intervention to stop
:02:56. > :02:58.fares from spiralling. Birmingham City fans observed a
:02:58. > :03:03.minute's silence today in memory of their former captain. Gary Ablett
:03:03. > :03:07.died from cancer. He was 46. He made more than a hundred
:03:07. > :03:11.appearances for the club between 1996 and 1999. Today, Birmingham
:03:11. > :03:15.City drew 1-1 at Peterborough. That was after conceding a goal inside
:03:15. > :03:19.the first 30 seconds. And Coventry City remain bottom of the league
:03:19. > :03:23.after losing 1-0 at West Ham. In the Premiership, Aston Villa
:03:23. > :03:29.lost 2-0 at home to Swansea. Two first-half goals from Stoke City's
:03:29. > :03:32.Peter Crouch saw off Blackburn Rovers. A 2-1 win for the Potters
:03:33. > :03:37.at Ewood Park. And Chelsea's Frank Lampard sneaked a late goal at
:03:37. > :03:40.Molineux to beat a battling Wolves 2-1.
:03:40. > :03:45.Onto League One now and Walsall lost 2-1 at Bury.
:03:45. > :03:51.And in League Two, Hereford won 2-0 against Burton Albion. Cheltenham
:03:51. > :04:01.beat Port Vale 2-1. And Shrewsbury drew 1-1 with Northampton.
:04:01. > :04:03.
:04:04. > :04:08.Big changes on the way. If you are heading back to work after the
:04:08. > :04:13.Christmas break, be prepared for a tricky Canute. After a fine evening,
:04:13. > :04:20.things will change tonight. The winds will strengthen and a band of
:04:20. > :04:26.rain comes in from the West. Heavy bursts of rain, very strong winds,
:04:26. > :04:29.up to 50, 60 mph in places. Things improved during the date. The rain
:04:30. > :04:34.will clear to the south. Some wintery showers in the north later.
:04:34. > :04:37.Be prepared for a tricky commute. The World Darts Championship final
:04:37. > :04:39.starts in just over two hours, but we can already tell you the
:04:40. > :04:42.winner's from Staffordshire. The reigning champion Adrian Lewis is