Papers focus on costs of living

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A Conservative report on the rising costs of living is considered in some of Tuesday's papers.

The report has the Daily Mail fuming that while inflation is officially low, household bills have risen by Â£27-a-week.

It says the dossier shows increases in food, housing, transport and taxes have left many families struggling.

The Daily Telegraph says it is a "stark illustration" of how living costs have outstripped inflation in recent years.

Pursuing interests

The Guardian and Independent report on Tory calculations that ministers and civil servants clocked up more than 300m miles in air travel last year.

Using government figures on carbon off-setting, the Tories say domestic departments, including the Cabinet Office, ran up large totals.

Ministers are accused of failing to meet environmental pledges.

But the Cabinet Office says nobody should suggest the UK's "interests can only be pursued over the phone".

Community policing

The Daily Mirror says Gordon Brown will launch Labour's local election campaign with a promise to put police back on the streets.

He says "every community will have its own dedicated neighbourhood police team patrolling the streets, and in touch with local people".

The Times reports on an internet game to make "the hottest, coolest, most famous bimbo in the whole world".

An eating disorder expert says it is "as lethal as pro-anorexia websites".

'Barmy' directive

The Sun reports that "barmy" EU laws are causing great inconvenience to passengers on Western Greyhound buses between Newquay and Plymouth.

Their journey has been broken into three stages as a Brussels directive says services should run no more than 30 miles to prevent driver weariness.

Passengers have to buy three tickets, and are forced off the bus twice.

Meanwhile, the paper reports that the driver changes the route number, often in the "middle of nowhere".