HELP is at hand for people across Keighley and South Craven struggling to pay their water bills.

That’s the message from Yorkshire Water, which says it has a number of schemes in place offering financial support to customers.

The company is making up to £11.5 million available across its region.

Initiatives include Resolve – which helps those struggling to catch-up on previous bills – and WaterSupport, which assists customers on lower incomes.

Another scheme, Watersure, can help customers who use a meter, receive an income-based benefit and either have a medical condition which requires more water or have three children aged under 19.

Yorkshire Water says the average saving for a WaterSure customer is £461.92 a year.

“We understand the worry that debt and bills can cause customers which is why we have a number of schemes in place,” said Angie Markham-Nock, the company’s customer support manager.

“If customers are struggling to pay bills, we really are here to help.

“They can call us on 0345 1 299 299 and we will go through the options and assist in whatever way we can.”

Kiri Saunders, from debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty, said: “Schemes like Yorkshire Water’s go a long way to help people on squeezed incomes.”