A quarter of British households can't afford high energy bills

Energy pressures will include more British families.

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Research has found that millions of families in England will be drawn into "fuel poverty" when energy bills rise in April.

According to the Resolution Foundation, the number of households will triple (6.3 million) when the price ceiling rises;

Families will find that they cannot afford the energy.

This means that more than a quarter of households will be "fuel poor" in England, which means that at least 10% of the family budget will have to be spent on energy bills, the foundation said.

But the rate would be 27% if the maximum price was raised by more than half to around £2,000 a year, as expected on April 1.

Ofgam will announce the new price ceiling level on February 7th, but it will announce significant increases in wholesale gas prices;

This means that a significant increase is inevitable.

The corporation says fuel pressure levels are likely to be highest in the Northeast and West Midlands, at 33% and 32%, respectively.

Among those severely affected are pensioners (38%), who live in poorly insulated housing belonging to the local authority.

The report says the sheer scale of the rising energy bill means the pressure on fuel will no longer be confined to the poorest households.

However, low- and middle-income families will find it more difficult to adapt, as they spend a much larger share of budgets on these necessities.

He adds that the government should target support for low-income families, provided that this is done through the subsidy system.

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