05.02.10 Winter gas bills ‘too high’

Up to a third of connected households may not be able to pay their winter gas bill, according to Which? magazine, after the January snows forced millions of customers to turn up their central heating.

The watchdog noted that 38% of the 1000 people polled were feeling glum about their winter finances, and beginning to regret using so much gas over the festive season. Experts predict that as much as £70 could be added to the average gas bill – hardly a good start to the New Year.

Many Brits have swapped heating systems for woolly socks, whilst others take more drastic measures, ignoring the chocolate and the booze in the supermarket, and cutting back on everyday essentials, such as bread and milk.

Of course, if the crowds in the supermarkets are anything to go by, some people will have already spent their month's budget on hundreds of loaves of bread and enough frozen food to sink a ship, in a bid to stave off a frosty apocalypse that never arrived.

Energy UK, a representative of the gas industry, urged customers to continue heating their homes – “We understand that people may be worried about their bills during this cold weather, but anyone who has concerns about paying their bill should contact their supplier as early as possible.”

In particular, the elderly and the infirm were singled out as vulnerable citizens. Help the Aged, a charity concerned with the welfare of pensioners, noted that many people might be missing heating grants, simply because they are unaware that help is available.

As the nationwide gas crisis begins to subside, the government has begun battening down the hatches, just in case the same problems resurface in the future. Last week, Gordon Brown’s cronies approved the construction of an underground fuel storage chamber in Cheshire, capable of holding 240m cubic metres of natural gas.

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