I won’t break 17 pounds after raising my bill

A MOTHER fears that she will not be able to feed her children after the cost of living increases.

Faye from Fife, Scotland, has relied heavily on General Credit Benefit as a way to survive.

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But she has only £17 left for food and other household necessities at the end of the month after her rent and bills are paid.

The 38-year-old man said to Daily record: “Right now I’m just trying to keep my head above the water and it’s a constant stress that I won’t make it through the month.

“I don’t go out, I just pay the bills and do the most basic shopping I can.

“My daughter has asthma, so I need to heat the house.”

Faye now says she can’t sleep at the prospect of bankruptcy after experts predicted bills could soar to £1,900.

“I had sleepless nights worrying about what would happen if I didn’t keep enough money for food and I ended up in a position where social services wanted to take Ayla away,” she added.

“It was a terrifying thought. I could never have let that happen but it’s something that’s constantly on your mind when you’re so close to the edge. “

Faye, who plans to become a teacher, has said that she is struggling with the daily price.

She said: “Things like a pair of tights used to cost £4 but now they cost £7. Vegetables are on the rise – a bag of potatoes is about £40p more expensive than the original.

“It may not seem like a lot for one thing but it is a lot when it is on a large scale.

“I am terrified of what will happen when my fixed-price gas and electricity purchase contract ends in the summer.

“I pay £150 and if that doubles, as people say, it wipes me out.

“Clearly inflation is above 5% for low-income people and the effects will be devastating for millions.”

SURPRISE UP

There has been a worldwide squeeze on gas and energy supplies over the past year – meaning wholesale gas prices have risen to unprecedented levels.

The reasons behind this dramatic increase include a particularly cold winter last year, a windless summer hindering wind farms, and an increase in demand from China.

The price cap, set by energy regulator Ofgem, could soar to £1,897 for the average user, up from the current level of £1,277.

That’s a 48% increase, according to an analysis by industry experts by Cornwall Insight.

As the Telegraph reports, this estimate falls only slightly from the most dramatic projections suggesting energy bills could hit £2,000 this spring.

Based on its February-July gas price forecasts, Cornwall Insight believes the price cap is likely to rise again in October – to £2,054.46.