A kind-hearted plumber stepped in to help a desperate family pay for their utility bills.
James Anderson gives emergency services to vulnerable people through Depher - a community initiative he founded - and was taken aback when he could see his own breath inside their home because it was so cold.
The 52-year-old, from Burnley, Lancashire, gave the family-of-five £170 to pay for food, gas and electricity to ensure they didn't go hungry or freeze before their next payday.
He described the job, which he was called out to on Saturday, as giving him a glimpse of "actual poverty" amid Britain's growing energy crisis, reports the Liverpool Echo.
As energy bills skyrocket, tradesman James said similar scenes would soon be replicated around the country and called on the Government to act now to stop them.
Have you been in a similar situation to James? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk
He said: “Where do we draw the line as a society and say 'Now we need to act?'
“There’s a lot of stuff the Government can do to cut the cost of living by capping these companies that are charging stupid, extortionate, out of reality rates.
“The poorest and the lowest in the country are always going to be penalised and expected to pay the most in the country out of everybody else. It’s wrong, and it’s time for a change.”
James said he’d got a call from the family over the weekend as they were struggling to keep their heating on before they reached their next payday.
He said: “They rang me to see whether there was anything we could do to help them get through until the next time they got paid.
“I said I’d pop in and see what I could do. But when I got there, I realised the actual poverty that they’re living in and the impact all this is having on people.
“You walk in and you’re talking to them, and you can see your breath while you’re talking to them.
“They’ve got children there. They’re confused because they don’t know what’s going on.
“The children are like 'Why is this happening? Why am I cold? Why can’t my mum and dad keep me warm? Why can’t they put the boiler on? Why can’t they give me a meal?'"
Worryingly, James said this wasn’t the first time that he’d been in a home recently where he could see his own breath as families saved money by switching off their heating.
He said: “Over the last few weeks, I’ve been to a few houses, not just families but elderly and disabled people as well, and you can see a plume of air coming out of their mouth.
“It’s that cold you can see your words before you can bloody well hear them and that should not be acceptable in this day and age."
You can donate to Depher's fundraising efforts here.
