'One in four homes' to face fuel poverty - 12/10/2011
A quarter of homes in the UK could be in fuel poverty by 2015 due to rising gas and electricity prices.
This is the warning from Deutsche Banke, which said predicted gas and electricity tariff increases of 25 per cent will make energy less affordable than at any time since the oil crisis of the 70s.
Recently, costs for gas and electricity have climbed by around 15 per cent after all the Big Six suppliers hiked their prices, but Deutsche Banke stated providers are not solely at fault.
Author of the report Martin Bough said: "While it is tempting for politicians to blame excessive retail profits, the reality is that the UK is once again a net importer of energy and international fuel prices have doubled."
Last week, it was warned by Friends of the Earth that an increased reliance on overseas sources is driving up energy prices and the UK must look to generate green electricity at home if the government is to prevent energy bills becoming unaffordable.
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