Debtors forced to lower fuel consumption

Britons are having to cut back on heating their homes during the continued cold snap so they can afford to pay their debts.

This is according to new research from Shelter, which found that 27 per cent – or 11.3 million people, including more than 1.4 million children, have made reductions in this area so they can meet rent and mortgage demands.

Director of policy and campaigns with the charity Kay Boycott called this shocking, stating that lives coud be at risk if people do not have adequate heating.

“The housing crisis is spiralling out of control and we can no longer ignore the huge repercussions this is having on people’s lives,” she said, calling on all political parties to prioritise this concern.

And the Conservatives recently revealed that over 2.4 million elderly people are struggling with fuel poverty, with the shadow energy and climate change secretary Greg Clark stating that many are scared to turn their heating on.

By Sarah Adie