Families in Oxfordshire face a serious bout of belt-tightening this year with huge rises in utility bills, food and the cost of transport.

Even households which once managed comfortably are feeling the squeeze. Average household bills will rise this year from £912 to £1,000-plus per month, according to the price website uSwitch.

Since Oxfordshire households spend more than the national average, this means the average family in the county will lose about £1,300 from its annual disposable income.

The main causes are stagnating earnings, tax hikes, excessive debt, rising interest rates and soaring utility bills.

The average wage in Oxfordshire last year was £503 a week, according to National Statistics, compared with a UK average of £459.

Pay increases this year are forecast to stay below four per cent and inflation is officially 4.1 per cent - or 2.2 per cent, if you exclude housing costs such as rent and mortgages.

However, food inflation has reached 8.4 per cent - the highest since the current recording system began in 1986, although a recent Bank of England survey found most people believe inflation is 3.9 per cent - almost double the actual rate, because the price of essentials is rising more than "discretionary" and luxury items.

USwitch said taxes had risen 85 per cent in the past 10 years, council tax 92 per cent, rents 44 per cent, social contributions 77 per cent, petrol 55 per cent, and heating 46 per cent.

Rail passengers have endured a series of above-inflation fare rises in recent years, with an annual season ticket from Oxford to London rising almost £200 in January, from £3,712 to £3,892.

More Oxford residents also face having to pay to park outside their own homes. Controlled parking zones are proposed for East Oxford, with permits costing £40 per vehicle, while Oxford taxi fares rose eight per cent.

People on low incomes, who spend more of their income on food and fuel, are worst hit by price rises. One pensioner said his fuel bills had already increased by more than the £3.50 a week rise in pension, due next month.

One of the biggest burdens is council tax, with the average bill rising four per cent next month. A Band D property in Oxford - including county council and police charges - will pay about £1,485 this year, a £60 increase.