Cost of living: 'We've only got 30p left on our prepayment meter'

A mother-of-two said her fiscal concern had go "exponentially worse" aft a prepayment metre was installed astatine her house.

Lisa Jefferies-Wilkin, 39, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, faced a menace of tribunal enactment from Scottish Power if she did not instal the meter, aft falling down with payments.

"I'm successful a hopeless situation. I don't cognize what I tin do," she said.

Scottish Power said the installation of meters was enforced arsenic a past resort.

Research suggests the vigor situation has pushed much UK households connected to prepayment state and energy meters, with 60,000 caller meters installed successful the six months to March.

These customers are much apt to beryllium susceptible and astatine hazard of being disconnected, charities say.

The organisation End Fuel Poverty Coalition has called connected the authorities to temporarily artifact households from being moved connected to prepayment meters.

Mrs Jefferies-Wilkin said the household presently had 22 pence successful their slope relationship and 30 pence-worth of electrical near connected their meter, which was installed successful the summertime by Scottish Power.

They person already experienced blackouts astatine their three-bedroom terraced location aft moving retired of credit.

She owes the vigor steadfast £11,000 aft being incapable to wage her bills for the past fewer years.

Mrs Jefferies-Wilkin near her occupation to go a full-time carer for her disabled hubby and the mates person 2 children, aged 12 and 14.

She said their benefits were not capable to screen their outgoings.

"I'm perpetually moving retired of money. I'm having to get wealth conscionable to guarantee I've got capable for the meter," she said.

"Two weeks agone we were down to utilizing the exigency credit. That ran retired and the energy chopped out.

"Going connected to the prepayment metre has made things exponentially worse. I'm present astatine a constituent wherever I'm asking what other tin I sacrifice?

"We're not acold abbreviated of being sat present successful the acheronian with thing to do. TV, the net and mobile phones are a luxury for america now."

A spokesperson for Scottish Power said: "Scottish Power is committed to supporting our customers done hard times. We supply fiscal enactment done the lukewarm homes discount and our dedicated hardship fund, from which Ms Jefferies-Wilkin has received support.

"In addition, we person specially trained lawsuit work advisors who tin assistance negociate customers' idiosyncratic situations sensitively and enactment them to entree the proposal and enactment that champion meets their needs.

"Warrants are lone ever pursued arsenic a past edifice erstwhile we've had nary engagement from the customer, contempt repeated attempts to interaction them."

The Department for Business said the government's vigor terms warrant would trim bills this wintertime by "roughly a third" of what they different would person been.

It added the astir susceptible households were receiving £1,200 successful further nonstop payments.

A spokesperson said the Treasury's reappraisal of vigor enactment from adjacent April would absorption assistance connected those successful request portion reducing costs for the taxpayer.