--UK Apr RPIX up 0.7% on mo; up 2.0% on yr
--UK Apr RPI up 0.5% on mo; up 1.8% on yr
--UK Apr RPIY up 0.5% on mo; up 2.2% on yr
--UK Apr RPIX above market expectations
--UK Apr HICP up 1.1% on year
--UK Apr service sector inflation up 3.8% on yr; goods dn 0.1%
--UK Apr tax & price index up 0.4% on year
--ONS: Higher watere charges add 0.16 pct pts to UK Apr yrly RPI
--ONS: Higher gas prices add 0.08 pct pts to UK Apr yrly RPI
--ONS: Apr utility prices up 1.5% on month, highest since Apr 1994
--ONS: Other up effects on UK Apr yrly RPI from food, leisure
--ONS: Seasonal food adds 0.04 pct pts to UK Apr yrly RPI
--ONS: UK Apr yrly RPI large dn effects from housing, tobacco
--ONS: Large dn effect on UK Apr yrly RPI from clothing
--ONS: Seasonal food adds 0.04 pct pts to UK Apr yrly RPI
--UK Apr RPI annual rate lowest since Nov 1999
--UK Apr RPIX annual rate highest since Nov 2000

London, May 15 (BridgeNews) - April retail price inflation excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) came in above market expectations, rising 0.7% on the month and 2.0% on the year. The annual increase was the largest since November 2000. One of the key factors pushing RPIX up was a surge in some utility prices. A sharp rise in water and sewerage charges added 0.16 percentage points to the retail price index, according to the figures published Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics.
* * * Higher gas prices added a further 0.08 percentage points. Overall, utility prices rose 1.5% on the month, the highest monthly rise since April 1994.
Service sector inflation rose sharply, up 3.8% on the year, while goods inflation fell by 0.1%.
The overall retail prices index showed much more subdued inflation. It was up 0.5% on the month and up 1.8% on the year, its lowest increase since November 1999.