A Glasgow mum says her family are set to face an impossible winter in a damp and bitter home as fuel prices soar.
Helen Croly lives with partner Colin and four children in the Pollok area with £2,200 in benefits coming in each month.
But with massive rises in gas and electricity prices, they fear this won't be enough to cover their bills.
Helen's gas bill last March was £25 a week but is set to rocket to around £75 on the new tariff. Likewise, her electricity bill is currently around £40 a week but looks set to shoot up to more than £70, reports the Daily Record.
READ MORE: Glasgow mum living 'off-grid' in tower block in protest over massive fuel bills
Showers and baths alone could cost the family £1,800 a year.
Helen, 48, said: “We are careful with fuel use but our bills are now so far out of control it’s putting a lot of stress on us.
“We don’t have an average family, we have six people to wash and six people to cook for and we need heating in the home. It’s utterly terrifying to think that it could get even worse.
“The rebates that the government have mentioned so far don’t make a dent on bills like the ones we are facing.”
Helen, who also has two grown up children, said the household has extra strain due to medical issues affecting kids Noah, 14, Skye, 12, CJ, nine, and Max, five.
Skye, 12, was diagnosed with asthma, which is believed to be down to the dampness in the home.
Helen, a volunteer in a local food pantry, said: “I just can’t think how we can cut back on stuff because we are already at the limit.
“The recent fuel bills mean that we only put the heating on when it’s freezing and we have a system where we leave it on until the radiators get fully warm then we turn it off again.
Helen added: “On top of my gas and electric, I’m £300 per week for my shopping, but as well as volunteering in the pantry, I also shop there four times a week as food prices were increasing so much each week.
“I also need to get taxis if I’m going anywhere with my boys as my wee one with autism can’t settle on the bus and my son who has a bowel problem can’t walk too far.”
She added: “I am hoping there will be some proper help from government but it seems there has been no glimmer of good news for a long time.”
READ NEXT:
* Glasgow family nurse injured fox back to health in back garden tent
* Lanarkshire Asda worker rescues confused customer and earns 'Super Ann' nickname
* Glasgow bin strikes could be 'risk to human health' as crisis deepens
* Katie Archibald 'feels less alone' as fans share words of comfort after Rab Wardell death in Glasgow
* Six Glasgow streets get potholes resurfaced after councillor calls for action
