In the headlines
Inflation has hit a 40-year high, with prices rising by a record 10.1% in the 12 months to July. There’s more to come, says The Times: “Britain is on course to suffer the highest inflation in the rich world” in October, with prices increasing 13.3%. Thames Water is imposing a hosepipe ban on its 15 million customers from next Wednesday. Six water companies have now announced restrictions, affecting 29 million people across the UK. Financial pressures are leading thousands to “let off steam” by having affairs, says the Daily Star. Adultery website Illicit Encounters has seen a 169% spike in new members, and a “whopping 85%” of respondents in a recent survey said the money squeeze had tempted them to stray. It’s a “cost-of-loving crisis”.