Millions of Sky TV and broadband customers in the UK will pay £43 a year more from April while Sky Mobile customers face the reintroduction of £2-a-day roaming charges in the rest of Europe, after the company announced a series of inflation-busting price increases. Sky’s Essential broadband package will increase 10% to £27.50 a month from 1 April, while the Superfast service rises 9% to £30.50 a month. The company, which has more than 12 million UK customers, said the average TV and broadband customer will pay an additional £3.60 a month from April and that the average price increase was below 5%. However, the price of some services is rising by as much as 14%. The announcement came on the same day official figures showed inflation rose to a 30-year-high of 5.5% in January as prices continued to surge across the board. On Tuesday, the regulator Ofcom said 20% of UK households had struggled to pay their TV, internet and phone bills in the last year, with some having to cancel services or cut back spending on essentials such as food and clothing to make payments. A Sky spokesperson said on Wednesday: “We know price increases are never welcome so we aim to keep prices as low as possible while still delivering the content customers love, the flexibility to choose the right package, and our leading customer service.” The company said the exact increase customers faced would depend on their plan and whether they were in a contract. HD television will increase by £1 to £8 a month while call rates (UK landlines and UK mobiles) will rise by 2p a minute to 22p. Sky Mobile will reintroduce roaming charges of £2 a day for its UK customers who visit the rest of Europe after 3 May. The EU ban on roaming charges between member states no longer applies to people with UK mobile phones because of Brexit. Ernest Doku, a telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Sky does not base their mid-contract rises on inflation, but any hopes that customers might be spared the pain of increases have been dashed. For many this will be an unwanted burden during a time when households are feeling the pinch from bill hikes across the board. “Broadband customers still in the minimum term of their contract can leave penalty-free if they act within 30 days of receiving their notification.” January’s inflation figures mean Virgin Mobile and O2 customers’ mobile phone bills will increase by 11.7% because they are linked to the retail prices index, which reached 7.8% last month. The increase has been set at 3.9% above RPI. “Should you find yourself in financial difficulty, don’t suffer in silence. Raise the issue with your provider and you may be able to negotiate a better deal, or switch on to a social tariff if you meet the criteria,” Doku said.