More than 100,000 people have pledged to cancel their direct debits for gas and electricity from October to protest against rocketing energy prices, according to Don't Pay UK. The campaign group was started in June, after it was announced that annual bills for a typical household are forecast to top £3,600 from January amid the biggest cost of living crisis in Britain for decades.
Don’t Pay UK said it would only take action if one million people signed up to the mass non-payment of energy bills by October 1 and the Government failed to “adequately address the crisis" and is calling on people to spread the word. Its presence on social media is gathering followers. According to Don't Pay UK's Twitter account, "It's a simple idea: We demand the Government scrap the energy price rises and deliver affordable energy for all. We will build a million pledges and by October 1 if the Government and energy companies fail to act we will cancel our direct debits." Its website goes into more detail, saying: "Even if a fraction of those of us who are paying by direct debit stop our payments, it will be enough to put energy companies in serious trouble, and they know this. We want to bring them to the table and force them to end this crisis."
Despite the momentum building for the movement, charities have warned that not paying energy bills could lead to serious consequences. Newcastle Citizen's Advice advised families to get advice if they are struggling to pay energy bills, but warned that "the Government must be ready to act again due to huge financial pressures that will come into play this winter".
