A disabled woman says the cost of living has driven her into debt , as new figures reveal a £1billion shortfall in benefits payments for disabled people.
Charity Scope said that almost 3million disabled people are losing out on £367 a year on average in benefits support - adding up to a staggering £1billion.
That is because government only raised benefits payments by 3.1% from April 11, but the cost of living has eaten up that increase.
Scope says disabled people often face higher costs, including for energy bills , and that the government needs to do more to help.
One disabled person affected is Anne Vivian-Smith, 51.
She says the government is not doing enough to help disabled people through the cost of living crisis, and has fallen into debt.
Anne has a neurodegenerative condition, which runs in her family.
As a result she has high electricity bills to power equipment like a power chair, ceiling hoist, electric adjustable bed and a powered door.
Do you have a cost of living story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
She also feels the cold and needs to keep her home warm, adding to her energy bills.
Anne receives higher rate Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefits.
She lives with her husband Dave, who has been her full-time carer since she became too ill to work.
He had to take a career change in order to free up enough time to help her.
This meant he took a salary cut, and Anne estimates their household income dropped by three-quarters as a result.
She says dealing with the pandemic eroded the savings of her and her husband Dave, but despite that the pair were managing financially.
"Before the pandemic we had some meagre savings, but because I am disabled we started shielding early and the additional cost of getting deliveries ate through those," she explained.
"But we were doing okay financially, then the price of energy started rising. The cost of living has only worsened our situation."
Anne and her husband Dave paid around £82 a month for gas and electricity until January, when it went up by £63 to £145.
She says her energy firm has told her to expect further increases.
"Almost an extra £70 a month for energy, the money just isn't there," she said. "We are at the point where there isn't anything to cut back on. I cant cut back on my wheelchair or hoists.
"We are in a situation where I have to sit in a cold room, and I shower when I visit a hydrotherapy pool to save money.
"To make things worse we did not get the £20-a-week uplift that those on Universal Credit received, because I am on legacy benefits."
She says she is worried about the future, as her and her husband have needed to borrow money to get by.
"We're already bouncing debt around," she said. "A credit card is used to pay off a loan, and that has been used to pay for something else. That house of cards is not sustainable."
Scope executive director James Taylor said: "The failure to uprate benefits in line with current inflation shows a distinct lack of awareness from government that life costs a lot more when you’re disabled.
“Disabled people have no choice but to use more energy to charge vital equipment and keep warm. Disabled people have already been cutting back for months and there’s nothing left to cut back.
“The government must announce direct financial support for disabled people, and at a minimum, make sure PIP matches rises in living costs."
