People have been left in freezing homes with ice on the inside of the window because they can’t afford to put the heating on, a charity has revealed.
Some parents have resorted to sending their children to live with relatives during the cold snap, it said.
The examples emerged as plunging temperatures over the past week piled misery on those already battling to make ends meet.
While the government has capped the unit price most households pay for their energy, it is not on the overall bill.
With the sub-zero weather, energy usage has risen and so has the cost of heating the home.
Yet many have not had the option of turning up the thermostat, or even putting the heating on at all, because they can’t afford it, according to the charity National Energy Action.
Adam Scorer, its chief executive, told the Mirror: “The cold weather this winter has hit hard.
“The average annual energy bill has more than doubled in a year and the most vulnerable are in an impossible situation.
“We hear from people who have ice on the insides of their window, those who are living under blankets, restricting medical equipment like oxygen and sacrificing time with their children by sending them to visit relatives because they simply can’t afford to put the heating on.
“Even before temperatures reached minus figures people were eating cold meals rather than cook and reducing the number of showers they took.
“Rationing energy and self disconnection are drastic steps and can cause huge harm to physical and mental wellbeing.”
The charity is calling for targeted Government support.
Research carried out by Ipsos on behalf of the University of Birmingham at the start of November found an overwhelming 81% of people planned to use less energy than normal over winter.
More than four in 10 said they will go to bed earlier than usual for warmth.
And 88% said they would probably put on more layers to stay warm at home
Around one in 10 said they have showered or washed in public facilities - gyms and leisure centres - to avoid hot water use at home.
The findings come amid calls for those who can afford it to donate a government energy handout to charity instead.
Earlier this year the government announced a £400 reduction on electricity bills for all households, regardless of their income.
The NEA’s Mr Scorer said: “This rebate is vital for some, but not others. “Many asked us what they could do to help, so we set up our Donate the Rebate campaign.”
Songwriter Eliot Kennedy, who has written for Aretha Franklin, Bryan Adams and S Club 7 and Gary Barlow, has penned a Christmas song and is encouraging people who like it to donate to National Energy Action.
