Scottish and Southern Energy price rise to put more pressure on consumers

Property owners could be in need of pay day loans with another energy company round of price rises putting more pressure on people's finances.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, was commenting on Scottish and Southern Energy, who put the cost of gas up by 18 per cent and electricity by 11 per cent.

She said that some homeowners have already started to self-ration, while others are self-disconnecting as they cannot afford their fuel bills.

"As a result they are going without the heating they need and living in a cold home, which can have a devastating impact on their physical and mental health. Figures released last week revealed that 5.5 million people in the UK are living in fuel poverty and this is only going to get worse as prices rise," she said.

Ms Guy went on to say that vulnerable customers need to be treated "sympathetically and fairly" by fuel suppliers, while free advice can also be gained from Citizens Advice for those struggling to pay the bills.

The rises come after British Gas and Scottish Power announced that they were putting up their prices later this year.

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2011-07-21 14:36:08 © Moneyextra.com