MINISTERS have been called on to look 'sympathetically' at a national levy to ease the burden of hefty water charges on Plymouth residents.

Parliament heard the move would see bills for South West Water customers falling by up to £75, while costing householders across the UK just £1.50.

People should pay for the region's beaches which they come to enjoy, MPs were told at Westminster.

Plymouth householders have significantly higher bills than anywhere else in the country — an average £490 compared to £343. A main cause is that residents are paying for the clean-up of nearly a third of the country's coastline.

It has been argued this is a national resource, and so the cost should be spread equally.

Speaking during the last parliamentary debate before the summer break, Neil Parish, Tory MP for Tiverton ad Honiton who sits on the Commons Environment Select Committee, said water charges were significantly higher because the region had 30 per cent of the beaches but only three per cent of the population to pay the extra charges.

He said: "I should like the Government to consider some form of national levy requiring people from all over the country to pay for the beaches that they come to enjoy.

"We do not think that the retired people of the South West Water area should pay the extra charges.

"It would mean bills in the South West Water area falling by about £65 to £75, yet the national levy would be in the region of £1.50. I ask the Government to look at this sympathetically."

The previous Labour Government had tasked the industry regulator Ofwat with examining the options put forward by a review into water charging headed by Anna Walker, which proposed a raft of measures to deal with "regional unfairness" in charges.

Faced with calls for action to deal with the "unfair burden" faced by hard-pressed South West Water customers, coalition Government ministers have pledged the administration would do its best to get a "speedy resolution". But they warned of the need to "get it right", and said they wanted to bring forward environmental legislation plans.