New research by the Money Advice Trust suggests that around one in five (21%) UK adults are estimated to be behind on at least one household bill, up from about one in seven (15%) in March. The charity found that among those receiving means-tested benefits, 45 per cent said they are behind with at least one bill.
The survey of 2,000 people in August also found that nearly two-fifths (39%) of people from an ethnic minority background are behind on one bill or more. Two in five (41%) people generally said they had already cut down on all non-essential spending - up seven percentage points compared with the charity's previous research in March.
Nearly two in five (38%) people have stopped or reduced their car usage due to fuel costs and 14 per cent have sold personal or household items to cover bills, the survey discovered.
The charity, which runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, said that while the UK Government's new energy price guarantee will remove the risk of energy bills climbing even further, the sustained impact of high prices has already taken a heavy toll on millions of households.
Many people are still confused by what the £2,500 freeze on the energy cap means. It is not the maximum you could pay on gas and electricity bills, if you use more then you will pay more and similarly, use less and you will pay less.
One in five (20%) people said they had seen their energy bill rise by £100 or more a month since April, according to the charity's most recent findings.
Its latest research found one in nine (11%) people have gone without food as a result of rising costs. This includes skipping meals, only eating once a day, or not eating at all on some days.
Commenting on the survey, Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, said: "The UK Government's capping of energy bills provides relief from the fear of future increases, but for millions the damage has already been done.
"Many households are already facing impossible choices, such as which meal to skip just to keep the lights on.
"With the impact of this crisis not being felt equally, further targeted support is needed for those on the lowest incomes."
According to separate polling for Citizen's Advice of 6,000 UK adults in May and June, one in four people have borrowed money to pay for essential costs in the last six months.
It said more than 25 per cent of the population reported being in debt, excluding mortgage and car finance payments, rising to 45 per cent of families with children and 56 per cent of people receiving Universal Credit.
And more people are resorting to borrowing money from friends, family and illegal loan sharks, it warned.
The findings are laid bare in a documentary, Broke: Britain's Debt Emergency - Dispatches, which airs at 10pm on Wednesday, September 21 on Channel 4.
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