Heat or Eat?

 Millions of people face the dilemma of cutting spending on food and clothing to pay their energy bill, one supplier's boss has said.

Bill Bullen, chief executive of Utilita - which serves prepayment meter customers - said government financial support was not directed sufficiently to those who needed it most. Bullen argued that the rise was inadequately focussed, leaving millions of people facing tough choices on their family budgets.

"They just do not have the money," he said.

He said ministers should spend money on "insulating the hell out of Britain".

Millions of households are facing a 54% rise in the cost of a typical annual gas and electricity bill, to about £2,000, when the regulator's new, higher price cap takes effect on 1 April.

The price rise for prepayment meter customers, who can include some of the poorest and most vulnerable in society, is slightly higher. The increase for prepayment meter customers is typically £708 a year.

Cost of living: Calls for targeted help to cut energy bills - BBC News