Price hikes to ring in the New Year

CONSUMERS face a raft of price hikes in the first week of January including increases in the cost of public transport, hospital charges and energy bills.

In a sobering start to the New Year, the latest set of increases come on top of hikes in mortgage interest rates which took effect in December and in the price of gas, which increased by 25% in the latter half of the year.

The price hikes include: