Charities have called for a “help to repay” scheme for energy bills as millions of households struggle to clear arrears. An estimated 5.5 million UK adults are behind on their energy bills, according to a survey for the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline.
The service said the findings confirm the ‘heavy toll’ soaring energy bills have taken on household finances, with 2.1 million more people in energy arrears in April than a year ago and millions struggling to get help from their suppliers. Some 7 per cent of those polled said they were unable to access help with their bills after contacting their suppliers for support, while 6 per cent reported being unable to get through to their firm.
An estimated 3.2 million people have received demands from their energy supplier for repayments of arrears they cannot afford, the Money Advice Trust said.
