A WOMAN claims to be surviving on just bread and cold cups of tea because she is so terrified of the cost-of-living crisis.
Struggling Sonia Lawrence, 62, is risking her own health to keep a roof over her head amid the terror of spiralling energy bills.
1
The mum-of-three, who lives alone, skips meals every single day and only receives one plate of decent food a week – which is donated.
She told MyLondon: “I just buy bread, I can buy brown bread, I’ll have toast.
“I can’t afford cheese though, that has gone up. I just buy milk and have a hot drink.”
Sonia, from Wandsworth, South West London, lives in a home powered entirely by electricity.
Terrified of being homeless, she prioritises her rent and bills over food as she struggles by on a fixed benefit income – around £15,410 a year.
This decision has thrown her into a horrific day-to-day ordeal which sees her not even boiling the kettle for a cuppa – opting to use the hot tap instead.
Every Wednesday she receives a single hot meal at her local Age UK centre, the rest of the week she just eats bread.
In a heart-breaking admission, she says she never tells volunteers at the charity how hard things are as she doesn’t want to “be a burden” – despite asking for just one hot meal a week.
Most read in Money
She is now so terrified of using electricity she may start going elsewhere in the day to charge her phone and stay warm.
To add insult to injury, Sonia, who is retired for health reasons, was recently a victim of a scam which demanded payment for an alleged £99 Vodafone bill.
While the issue was resolved, it left her terrified to leave her flat and even thought builders were bailiffs coming to get her.
The Sun Online have approached Wandsworth Council for comment.
