A mother broke down during a call-in on the James O’Brien show today after admitting that she has been forced to eat her children’s leftovers in order to get by.
The biggest jump in domestic energy bills in living memory came into effect today with charities warning that 2.5 million more households are set to fall into “fuel stress” and supplier websites remained unresponsive to customers.
As a 54 per cent increase to Ofgem’s price cap hit bills, the Resolution Foundation think tank said the number of English households in fuel stress – those spending at least 10 per cent of their total budgets on energy bills – was set to double overnight from 2.5 to five million.
Resolution Foundation senior economist Jonathan Marshall said: “Today’s energy price cap rise will see the number of households experiencing fuel stress double to five million.
“Another increase in energy bills this autumn hastens the need for more immediate support, as well as a clear, long-term strategy for improving home insulation, ramping up renewable and nuclear electricity generation, and reforming energy markets so that families’ energy bills are less dependent on global gas prices.”
A mother called into O’Brien on LBC to discuss her own perilous situation.
Watch the harrowing call in full below:
Related: Elevenses: Election Speculation