in the north east of england and the west midlands, from where our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. oh, beautifulfire. it is so cold out there. without this heat, thelma spalding s life would be unbearable. the fire is a life saver. she suffers from sciatica and is in chronic pain after she says she was attacked by a patient on the nhs ward where she worked until last year. being cold exacerbates the pain and this is the only room she can afford to heat. even right now i ve got on two leggings, a pair of trousers, a vest, a t shirt and a dress. and i m in the house. just not to feel the pain because when i come out of this room, it s cold in the kitchen, it s cold in the bathroom. thelma says her gas and electric bills have increased from £44 to £99 a month. now dependent on benefits, she is petrified of using her central heating. how can i afford £99 a month for one bill? they have told me to switch off
budget on energy bills. the hardest hit families will be in the north east of england and the west midlands, from where our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. oh, beautifulfire. it is so cold out there. without this heat, thelma spalding s life would be unbearable. fire s a life saver. she suffers from sciatica and is in chronic pain after she says she was attacked by a patient on the nhs ward where she worked until last year. being cold exacerbates the pain, and this is the only room she can afford to heat. even right now, i ve got on two leggings, a pair of trousers, a vest, a t shirt and a dress. and i m in the house. just to not to feel the pain because when i come out of this room, it s cold in the kitchen, it s cold in the bathroom. thelma says her gas and electric bills have increased