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MILLIONS of households will see their bills soar next week when awful April price hikes hit. 

The rises could cost the average household £416 extra per year. 

Here we explain how to avoid the hikes and cut your costs now as part of our “Awful April” series… 

Energy and gas – save £291

Energy bills will increase by £111 to £1,849 a year when the price cap rises on April 1.

The cap is set every three months by the regulator Ofgem.

It limits the maximum amount an energy firm can charge households for the units of gas and electricity they use.

Around 22million households in England, Scotland and Wales are on a variable rate tariff, so their bills change in line with the cap.

Those who have locked into a fixed deal will not be affected.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch, said households should consider locking into a fixed deal now.

He said: “There are a range of deals that are priced cheaper than current rates.

“It only takes a few minutes to run a comparison, so it’s worth seeing if you can beat the price rise.”

The cheapest deal at the moment comes from Outfox the Market and could save a typical household £291.21 compared to the April cap.

You can find the best deal by using a comparison website including Uswitch or MoneySupermarket.

Water – save £100

Water bills are set to increase by £123 a year from April 1, pushing up the average bill to £603.

The exact amount your bill will increase depends on where you live.

Southern Water customers will see their bills climb by 47% to £703 a year.

Meanwhile, Thames Water bills are rising by 31%.

You may be able to save money with a water meter.

As a rule of thumb, if you have fewer people than bedrooms in your house then a water meter is likely to save you money.

Installing one of these devices could save you around £100, according to the Consumer Council for Water.

TV licence – save £174.50

The cost of a TV licence will rise by £5 to £174.50 in April.

You may be able to get a free TV licence if you are 75 or older and you or your partner who lives at the same address receive Pension Credit.

You can apply when you turn 74 and your payments will be adjusted automatically.

You should also assess whether you actually need a TV Licence.

You may not need one if you do not watch live TV on any channel or streaming service and do not use BBC iPlayer.

If this is the case then let the TV Licensing company know.

Car tax – save £195

It will become more expensive to drive your car from next month.

On April 1 the flat rate cost of car tax will increase by £5 to £195 a year.

The exact amount your road tax will increase depends on the year your car was registered and the fuel it takes.

From next month electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from vehicle tax.

Electric vehicles that are registered after April will pay the lowest rate of car tax, which is £10 in the first year.

After that they will move to the standard rate, which will also apply to electric vehicles that were registered for the first time after April 2017.

You may not need to pay car tax if you receive certain disability benefits such as the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.

To be eligible the vehicle must be registered in the disabled person’s name or their nominated driver’s name.

Council tax – save £2,279

Millions of households will see their council tax bills rise up to 5% on April 1, adding £108 a year to an average Band D property. 

You may be able to knock hundreds of pounds off your council tax bill by applying for a discount.

If you are on a low income or claim certain benefits then you could get a council tax reduction of up to 100%.

On a typical Band D bill this would be worth £2,279 a year.

If you live alone, share a property with a student or someone who is severely mentally impaired then you could get a 25% discount.

Contact your council to apply.

Mobile phone – save £141

Telecom giants including BT, EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and Tesco Mobile will all hike the bills of millions of customers from April.

The exact amount your bills will increase depends on your provider.

For example, EE and BT will push up the cost of their Sim-only contracts by £18 a year from April.

Meanwhile O2 is increasing the amount it charges by £21.60 a year.

At Three Mobile the price hike depends on the cost of your contract.

If your contract has ended then you may be able to save money by switching to a new deal.

Swapping from a 24-month handset deal to a SIM only contract could save you £351 a year, according to Uswitch. 

Use a comparison website such as Go Compare or Compare The Market to find the best one.

Broadband – save £120

Broadband deals will also rise on April 1.

Under new rules from the regulator Ofcom anyone who signs up for a broadband deal from January 17, 2025, will be given a fixed annual price increase.

Before this the amount your contract increases each year was tied to inflation.

Most broadband providers will increase their fixed rates by £36 a year.

But Virgin Media is pushing up its prices by £42 a year.

If you took out your deal before January 17 then the exact amount your bill will increase depends on your provider.

For example, Virgin Media and Onstream will hike their bills by 7.5%.

On a £20 a month contract, this would be an increase of £18 a year.

Meanwhile, BT, EE, Plusnet, Vodafone and Three are all pushing up their prices by 6.4%.

On a £20 a month deal, this would be an increase of £15.36 a year.

One way to save money is to downgrade to a cheaper package – you could save around £120 per year.

Use a comparison website to find the best deal.

Stamps – save £5

The cost to post a letter is set to rise next month.

The price of a first-class stamp will increase by 5p to £1.70 on April 7.

Meanwhile, the price of a second-class stamp will rise by 2p to 87p.

Stock up on stamps now to avoid the price hike and save £5 on 100 first-class stamps. 

Check your tax code – save £3,389

Check your tax code before the new financial year begins on April 6.

This code is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much Income Tax to take from your pay or pension.

You may get a new code if your income changes, you start a new job or get taxable benefits. 

You can find your code on your payslip, using the HMRC app or on the HMRC website.

Use the tax code checker on the GOV.UK website to find out what your code means and how much tax you will pay.

Check to see if you are due a refund, millions are and you could be missing out on £3,389 if you were overcharged when withdrawing from your pension. 

THE brave Maclean brothers have revealed it’s not man-eating sharks they will fear the most on their record attempt to row the Pacific – but Marlin poking a hole in their £100,000 boat.

Next month Edinburgh-born Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan will set off on an epic journey from Peru to Australia.

The siblings are aiming to become the fastest to row the 9,000 mile route completely unsupported.

However their main concern as they cross the world’s largest ocean are Black Marlin fish – which can grow up to 15ft long and weigh 750kgs – piercing their hull at 80mph with their razor sharp swords.

Speaking from their South American base, eldest brother Ewan, 33, says: “There’s been a recent trend for ocean rowing boats being attacked by marlins.

“It’s believed they’re hunting for smaller fish that track along the underside of the boat but have been known to spear the hull, right through to the sleeping cabin in some cases – which really would be a rude awakening.”

The youngest of the trio Lachlan, 26, adds: “Everyone thinks sharks would be the biggest problem.

“In the early 1970s there was a rower called John Fairfax who went for a swim off his boat and was bitten by a Great White shark, and couldn’t row for about a month.

“But as we don’t plan on entering the water so our main concern really would be sinking due to a Marlin attack.”

In 2020 the Macleans became the first three brothers to row across the Atlantic in just 35 days.

But they now want to “scratch the itch” by tackling the Pacific even though they’ll have to smash through the pain barrier as they row between 12-14 hours a day each on the estimated 150 day crossing.

Lachlan says: “It’s the lack of sleep I’m not looking forward to as we’re probably not going to be able to get more than three hours at a time for 150 days.

“So we are going to be really sleep deprived which was the hardest part for me on our Atlantic crossing.”

Ewan adds: “I suffered from bad salt burn sores on my hands and my feet last time. So you really need to be aware of things like blisters as things can go off a cliff quite quickly.

“But we have lots of Sudacream with us – literally tubs and tubs of the stuff.”

The brothers will also need to consume up to 10,000 calories a day by downing the freeze dried meals prepared by chef Jamie.

And they’ll be packing 100 kilos of porridge oats for the journey too as they aim to rake in £1million in donations for their own foundation to deliver clean water projects in Madagascar.

Ewan says: “It’s a place that we visited multiple times and really saw the effects of not having access to clean water.

“So to put that into context, we’re hoping to give 40,000 people clean water in an entire district of Madagascar which includes 77 villages, 27 schools and its three health centers.”

But the brothers – who were raised by whisky expert Charlie and their mum Shelia – are also rowing in memory of the sister they never knew.

Jamie, 31, explains: “Our vessel is called Rose Emily which is very personal to our family.

“Between Lachlan and I, our mum and dad were expecting a baby girl but very sadly they lost the baby about six months in.

“It was a very traumatic and terrible experience for them as they had decided that she was going to be called Rose Emily.”

And with all of the Maclean siblings now literally in the same boat, they had to stress to their worried mum that safety was paramount.

Jamie continues: “We definitely have our mum’s blessing for this even though we know how stressful it will be for her.

“But I think having seen us do the last trip and how seriously we took the safety side of things, that has reassured her a lot.”

But no matter how well the three siblings get along, they are still going to be cooped up on a 30ft long boat for up to five months – so aren’t they worried they’ll be rows as well as rowing?

Jamie says: “Being at sea from between three to five months will test any relationship.

“The unfortunate reality is you don’t get any time to yourself as there’s only two little sleeping pods at either end.

“But when you’re not rowing we will each take the time to try and chill out and eat something.”

As for having the privacy to use the loo, they have come up with a solution for that too.

Ewan says: “We have a bucket as the toilet as you can’t just perch over the end as that could tip over the vessel.

“So whoever needs to use the bucket will go to the bow as then we’ll have their back to them to give them some privacy.”

Before they reach Australia they’ll also have to try and dodge Pacific storms, but believe at some point it will be “inevitable” they will capsize during the journey.

Ewan says: “The boat is incredibly safe as it’s essentially built like a lifeboat and will self-right.

“So if we are hit by a storm we will have to batten down the hatches and deploy a thing called a power anchor, which is essentially a parachute that opens up underwater to stop us being blown back the way we’ve come.”

And Ewan reveals one of other important safety feature they have added to their custom-built craft.

He says: “The Atlantic crossing was on a fibreglass hull but this one is made of carbon because of the risk of Marlin attack.

“We’ve also added a 10 centimetre gap just to give us some space if its sword does pierce the underside – although I guess we really won’t know if it works until a marlin decides to test it.”

*For more information visit themacleanbrothers.com

A DEVASTATED mum has hailed her “princess warrior” daughter’s bravery in battling cancer at just two years old.

Medics had told Eilidh Hendry, 30, her “tired” girl Lotus-Maeve only had a viral infection.

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Medics told Eilidh Hendry her “tired” girl only had a viral infection[/caption]

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Tests revealed she was suffering from a rare form of leukaemia[/caption]

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Lotus-Maeve faces another two years of treatment[/caption]

But when she got worse and a rash appeared on her body, hospital tests revealed she was suffering from a rare form of leukaemia.

She has had four ops since February.

Bar worker Eilidh, from Elgin, said: “It’s horrendous, my worst nightmare come true.

“I can’t stop crying and worrying about her. But Lotus-Maeve is amazing and has so much strength for someone so little.

“She is a princess warrior — and she keeps me going.”

When the tot’s hair started falling out due to her treatment Eilidh decided to get rid of her own locks too.

Eilidh said: “Lotus-Maeve had the most beautiful, long, curly hair. She loved brushing it and brushing mine.

“But as soon as I knew she was to lose it, I had mine shaved off. There’s no way she’ll be alone on this journey.”

Eilidh donated their hair to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for young cancer sufferers. The pair have also raised £700 for the charity.

Lotus-Maeve faces another two years of treatment.

But her mum, who will be her full-time carer, insisted: “It will be tough — but she will get through it.”

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“Bedbugs can take up to 2 weeks to hatch so you may not initially realise you have a problem, but using deep vibrations you can cause the bugs to hatch early so you can remove them,” she explained.

“Sound waves can mimic vibrations of a host moving nearby, tricking the eggs into thinking it is time to hatch, you can use this to your advantage by playing songs with a heavy bass near the affected area.

“Songs like ‘You Should See Me in a Crown’ by Billie Eilish or ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars are a good starting point.”

And even if you haven’t seen signs of bedbugs you should still be proactive in preventing them from infesting your home.

“If you have travelled recently or have purchased second-hand furniture you are at a higher risk of a bed bug infestation,” said Adeel.

“I would highly recommend using a small amount of diatomaceous earth as a first line of defence.”

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Songs with a heavy bass such as Billie Eilish’s ‘You Should See Me in a Crown’ are recommended for tackling bed bugs (stock image)[/caption]

PAUL O’Grady’s widower has revealed why he decided to share a video of the late TV star filmed just 20 minutes before his death.

Andre Portasio surprised Paul’s fans today when he shared a previously unseen final clip of the star thanking fans for supporting his children’s book, Eddie Albert and the Amazing Animal Gang.

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Sitting in his Kent home, popular Paul was upbeat and in good spirits, however died from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia not long after.

Andre has now explained why he felt compelled to upload the clip, telling the Mirror: “I went to bed and I looked at my phone and it showed a featured picture. I didn’t recognise what it was, and then when it came up I was like ‘oh my god.’ I had totally forgotten about it.’ I thought it was a nice thing to share with his fans.

He continued: “I normally enjoy watching videos of him.

“Sometimes I get upset but mostly I laugh about them. He was so funny. It also helps me to remember how funny and genuine and upbeat he was.”

Even in his final moments, Paul was doing what he did best – spreading warmth, kindness, and gratitude.

In the bittersweet clip, discovered in Andre’s phone two years after Paul died in March 2023, the much-loved comedian and TV personality sat with his dog Eddie.

Animal lover Paul, who first found fame as Lily Savage, looked relaxed and happy as he said: “Hello everybody, I’m Paul O’Grady, and I just want to say a massive thank you for reading me book, Eddie Albert and the Amazing Animal Gang, and also for voting for it.

“I’m absolutely delighted with my award. So thank you very much.

“And by the way, this is Eddie. This is my dog. And Buster in the book is based on this little one.”

Turning to Eddie, he said: “You’re very quiet today, eh?

“Anyway, once again, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Look after yourselves.”

Andre, captioned the emotional post: “It’s incredible how our minds can shield us from the pain of loss in moments of shock.

“Today, my iPhotos reminded me of a lost video I recorded of Paul just 20 minutes before he sadly passed. What became the last recording he ever made to camera.

“In this bittersweet moment, you see him as the genuinely kind man he was, expressing heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting his book, which he recorded for an award ceremony he couldn’t attend.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since his passing.

“All the while, he’s surrounded by his beloved dogs. We miss you dearly, @paulogrady. Happy heavenly birthday!”

The post was met with an overwhelming response from fans and celebrities alike, who expressed their shock and sadness.

EastEnders actress Michelle Collins wrote: “This is unbelievable, so sad.

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Dog lover Paul left £500,000 to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home[/caption]

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“Makes you realise what a wonderful person he was. Life can be so fragile, we have to really embrace it like Paul did. Such a loss—wish there were more like him.”

TV presenter Gaby Roslin added: “Miss him so much. This is special and precious. Big love, Andre.”

Another heartbroken fan commented: “I think maybe Eddie was quiet for a reason. Dogs know things. Paul, you are missed.”

A fourth added: “How was this 20 minutes before he died?! I cannot cope with this—I cannot even imagine how you have been… Sending so much love to you all who knew him, as the beautiful soul he is.”

Last year, it was revealed Paul had left a staggering £15.5million in his will – with £125,000 set aside for his five pet dogs.

He also left half a million pounds to the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Animal lover Paul left a total of £775,000 to organisations close to his heart, including donations of £50,000 to elephant and orangutan charities.

He also gave £50,000 to the Salvation Army, whom he’d been a lifelong fan of as a result of them helping the needy in his native Liverpool when he was growing up.

Prior to his death, Paul had spent 11 years at the helm of ITV1’s Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, which focused on the tireless work at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

The comic had made an entire career while playing his drag queen alter-ego Lily Savage, who hosted Blankety Blank in the 90s.

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Paul died at home in March 2023[/caption]