AN ELDERLY couple are forced to sleep in their COATS after being left unable to afford their heating.
Gerald Porter, 83, fears he might have to go back to work to help pay the bills after they doubled in one month at home in Melksham, Wiltshire.
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The ex-Royal Air Force serviceman’s wife Mair, 80, was recently diagnosed with dementia – and the pair have to watch “every penny”.
Gerald and Mair, like countless others, have been hit by the cost of living crisis.
Their energy bill soared from £110 to £295, leaving Gerald forced to turn off the central heating and opt for hot water bottles to keep warm.
They have also stopped using their oven – relying entirely on their cheaper-to-run microwave.
Gerald told the Mirror: “I don’t want to complain really because I‘ve had a good life, but it comes as a huge disappointment.”
He added: “I can’t imagine a time that I can turn the heating on again, there’s nothing in sight and there’s nothing else I can do.
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“The difference between £110 and £295 – it’s a chasm that I can’t cross. I’m not putting the heating on because I refuse to go into debt.”
“At night, we cover the bed in coats and use an extra blanket because Mair is particularly susceptible to the cold.
“We wear coats indoors now. They’re like long jackets lined with synthetic wool.
“We’re having to use those in bed too just to make sure we keep warm.”
Gerald – who doesn’t want to have to rely on benefits – is debating going back to work to “earn a few extra pennies”.
“I don’t want to do it but I’m hoping I can,” he said.
“It would have to be from home and it would have to be a computer device.
“One of the first things I looked at was working remotely for Amazon but I’m not even sure of how it works.”
On April 1, energy bills rose by a shocking 54 per cent, the equivalent of around £700 a year.
Council tax, National Insurance, water, broadband, phone and TV bills also became more expensive.
It means the cost already borne by Brits will rise by another £2,620 in 2022.
The situation will likely worsen in October, when the energy price cap could increase by a further £788.
A quarter of all people living in the UK may be unable to turn their heating on from the autumn.
