Green Britain: Quarter Of Families Forced To Turn Off Heating To Feed Children
Soaring energy bills are forcing one in four mothers to turn off their heating in the depths of winter in order to afford food for their children. Fuel poverty is resulting in thousands of families resorting to wearing extra clothes and using blankets in their homes.
More than half of families turn off the heating in their houses when the children are out, while 45 per cent of adults keep warm using blankets or duvets during the day, according to a survey.
Fuel bills have already soared by eight per cent this winter, but costs are expected to rise further in coming months.
Experts have warned that the number of households suffering fuel poverty, whereby heating bills account for more than a tenth of a family’s income, will double to nine million by 2016.
Worry: Experts have warned that the number of households suffering fuel poverty could double by 2016
A shocking 23 per cent of families are already having to choosing between buying food or using heating, according to a survey by the Energy Bill Revolution campaign.
A fifth of respondents said that their children were ill more regularly as a result of colder homes.
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