Chinanews.com, December 20 (Xinhua) Comprehensive foreign media reports, affected by the energy crisis and inflation, heating is still the biggest headache in the UK.
To this end, the UK recently launched about 3,200 "warm banks", allowing residents to enjoy free heating and office conditions in "heating concentrated areas".
Daniel Andrews, manager of the Wandsworth Library in London, said the library had seen an increase in visitors since becoming a "warm bank".
"Our job is to provide a warm, safe space while also providing advice to those who need it," Andrews said.
According to Reuters, 52-year-old Obermes is one of many residents who turn to the "warm bank" for help. On the morning of the day off, she will go to the library and spend two hours in front of the computer there to keep warm.
Obermes works as a health care assistant in the UK's National Health Service (NHS), earning about £1,500 a month and is the main source of income for the family.
The two children are still in school and her husband is a freelance journalist.
The family kept the heat off for most of the day, only turning it on intermittently at night as the children returned from school.
When they feel cold, they wrap up in coats or blankets and sit on the couch, Obermes said.
According to a survey by the Office for National Statistics in December last year, 4% of Britons will default on their energy bills in winter, and Obermes and his family belong to this group.
They had to defer last month's payment and worry about having to do it again this month.
Obermes' family ran out of money to buy food earlier this year and subsisted on rice and pasta.
Her children asked her: "Mum, we're in England, how did this happen?"
Obermes is now most worried about whether the family can afford Christmas gifts, because her daughter's birthday is also Christmas.
"We'll wait. The week isn't over, so we'll wait," Obermes said, wiping away tears.