Call to end ‘cruel’ winter rises as energy bills go up by £100 a year

More than one million of the UK's most vulnerable adults will be living in ‘Dickensian’ cold and damp homes this Christmas, campaigners warn. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Midwinter energy price increases should be abolished to protect households from unaffordable bills “at the worst possible time”, according to a coalition of leading charities.

Charities and campaign groups have called on Ofgem, the energy regulator, to scrap future January bill increases as it prepares to raise the cap on energy prices by 5% from Monday.