A Newcastle charity has warned that people could die in their cold homes as vulnerable families who have to pay for their energy in advance face the first cold snap of this winter.
Newcastle Citizens Advice is urging struggling households to contact their energy supplier rather than sit in cold houses as temperatures plummet to freezing in the city over the next few days. While everyone is likely to see increased bills as the weather gets colder, customers who have prepayment - or pay-as-you-go - meters are literally left in the cold if they have no money to top up their meters.
"The energy price guarantee is £2,500 for an average home but the message we are getting is that this is massively unaffordable for some people, who are taking desperate - and dangerous - risks to keep warm," said a spokesperson from the CAB. "In winter 20-21, it is estimated that 6,000 people in England died as direct result of their homes being too cold, and energy costs then were around half of what they are now. At Citizens Advice Newcastle, we have seen more people who can't afford to heart their homes so far this year than the previous five years combined. It's shocking and desperate and we are worried that people are going to pass away simply because their homes are too cold."
