A desperate gran who can't afford to keep her heating on due to the cost of living crisis says she will have to do her Christmas shopping at Poundland.
Marianne Kiely, from Willenhall, West Midlands, is worried about the rising cost of gas and electricity and fears she will have barely any money left to treat her grandkids during the festive period this year.
As the weather gets colder, she said she has been putting on extra layers and wrapping herself in blankets.
The nan, 59, told Birmingham Live : "We're having to keep the heating off. We've got no choice.
"I'm putting extra clothing on, to be honest. A couple of times already we have had to go without any electricity.
"I'll make sure the children have got presents. But it will be Poundland things, it won't be anything expensive as everything costs too much."
The woman, who suffers from arthritis and had to quit work because of her health, said the cold is making her pain worse - but due to financial constraints she has to live without heating for as long as possible.
The nan survives on Universal Credit and lives with her daughter who has epilepsy.
Marianne has applied for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but has so far been unsuccessful.
She has also been forced to use a local food bank due to rising costs and fears things will get worse in the coming months as the crisis continues.
She explained: "I'm turning everything off. Even the washing, I'm letting it build up a bit more to save on electric and do it all in one go.
"I'm absolutely scared by how high everything is going to go. I don't know how I'm going to manage.
"I know the Government has helped with one-off payments but that's not going to go far in the long run. It's a scary situation."
Charities have warned that high energy prices will harm children's development this winter after a survey found a quarter of parents have already cut back on the amount of food they buy.
Some 24 per cent of parents are buying less food since the start of the year in order to afford essentials, 28 per cent have cut back on the quality of food and 13 per cent have eaten cold meals or meals that do not require cooking to save money on energy bills, the poll of more than 4,000 UK households by YouGov for the charity National Energy Action (NEA) and the Food Foundation found.
The average household energy bill will rise from £1,971 to a frozen £2,500 from October 1 under the energy price guarantee announced by Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this month.
Overall, household bills will be 96 per cent higher than last year.
NEA said the number of UK households in fuel poverty will have increased from 4.5million last October to 6.7million now.
The Government's plan only caps the cost per unit that households pay, with actual bills still determined by how much energy is consumed.
The survey also suggests that 67 per cent of parents are worried that energy prices will mean they have less money to buy food for their household while 51 per cent are worried about the coming winter and its impact on their family's health.
NEA chief executive Adam Scorer said: "People have had to choose between heating and eating. This winter millions will not have even that choice.
"The most vulnerable, including children, will be cold and hungry as energy prices spiral, despite Government support.
"The impacts on health and wellbeing are devastating and will only get worse after Saturday's price rises. It's a public health emergency.
"More targeted and enduring support, like an energy social tariff, is crucial if the most vulnerable are to get through winter warm and fed."
