Elaine Cleary says that it's so cold her her home, "it's like being outside". The pensioner is a regular visitor to the Warm Welcome hub at the library in her hometown Barry with her sister Beverly Goddard. Clutching one of the free teas that the library was giving out as part of its warm hub offering, Elaine explained how she, like many across the UK right now, are struggling to pay soaring energy bills.
Elaine said she can only afford to put her heating on once a week at the moment. She added: "I only put it on last week for one day, and then it will go on again this week for one day. I can only do one day at a time. So I just sit in my house with a blanket over me." Exacerbating the issue further, Elaine also has a broken front door, which she said won't be fixed until next year.
"You can see daylight at the bottom [of the door] and down the side," said Elaine. My son in law put stuff in to try and stop the draft, but it hasn't worked. It has been reported four or five times to Newydd Housing and they have said I have got to wait until next year for a new front door. My hallway is absolutely freezing."
