Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SKINT PENSIONERS LIVING ON BISCUITS
Energy bills hell for elderly
HARD-UP pensioners are surviving on biscuits and staying in bed all day to save money as energy bills soar, a report revealed.
Charity Age UK found elderly people on the lowest incomes blow a fifth of it on gas and electricity following April’s power price cap rise.
It estimates two million pensioners will not be able to pay for basics such as food, lighting and heating over the next year.
Age UK’S It Doesn’t Add Up report found many are now only leaving home for health check-ups and have cut back on seeing their family and friends.
They are also getting by on one meal a day, cutting their own hair and bathing once a fortnight to keep bills down. One couple told the charity “sometimes dinner is just biscuits”.
An elderly man living on a state pension said: “I feel anxious and depressed. I only shower once a fortnight and use the oven once a week.”
One woman in her 70s added it was like living during the Second World War, when her mum taught her how to cook.
She said: “I have turned the heat off altogether [and] eat just one meal daily.
“How dreadful that we have gone so far back in living standards.” It comes after Ofgem warned the energy price cap is to soar by £800 to £2,800 in October.
Age UK called on the Government to increase benefits and the state pension in line with inflation. It also wants a payment of £500 for those on the lowest incomes to lessen the blow of price rises.
Chief Caroline Abrahams said: “Older people realise if they are struggling to keep their heads above water as things stand, the chances are they’ll slip under altogether in a few months’ time.”
The Department for Work and Pensions was asked for comment.