Millions facing fuel poverty, report says

Over five million households are facing the prospect of fuel poverty, according to new research.

The report, entitled Energy Prices and Debt, claims that 5.7 million homes will be spending at least 10 per cent of income on energy bills by the end of next year.

Released by the National Housing Federation, it states that this is equivalent to 13.4 million people – 23 per cent of the British population.

Annual electricity bills are set to rise to over £500 a year and gas bills to increase to about £900 a year. This means the amount of people struggling will reach record levels, the study says.

Director of campaigns and neighbourhoods Ruth Davison comments: “The findings of our survey are shocking and show that we now have a full scale national energy crisis.”

In August, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that fuels saw an increase in the annual rate from 13.8 per cent to 16.1 per cent.

By Jamie Price