The shocking extent of the “heat or eat” dilemma faced by the people of Tayside, Fife and Forth Valley is laid bare by The Courier today.
New figures contained in the first day of our special investigation into energy prices expose the number of people living in extreme fuel poverty across the region.
The struggling Courier readers we have spoken to include:
* A young mum who has pitched a tent in her front room so that her three children don’t freeze during the winter months.
* A family who were forced from their home because the cost of heating left them unable to pay rent.
* A widowed pensioner who traipses around shopping centres to keep warm because she is afraid her bitterly cold flat could kill her.
* A couple who fear for their newborn son’s future as energy firms again increase their fuel bills.
Single parents and pensioners have been hardest hit by price hikes handed down by the ‘big six’ energy firms that have a stranglehold on the fuel supply to homes.
Charities that deal with the fallout have helped uncover the daily fight for survival now faced by so many in an increasingly wide cross-section of society.
For the first part of our three-day series see Tuesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.