Avoiding the sound of Jingle Bills

The Commons Trade and Industry committee has stated that the recent rises in UK gas prices has lead to increased suffering by many of the most exposed groups such as the elderly and, "non-elderly vulnerable groups, particularly disabled people, whose difficulties in relation to fuel poverty have been known for a long time".

A lack of gas supplies from Europe, and dwindling North Sea production has been blamed for the price increases by most of the major energy suppliers leading to average bills being put up by as much as 15% recently, with fears that costs are likely to rise even higher if the UK experiences a cold winter.

The Committee report also added that: "If fuel prices continue to rise it will be essential to provide further assistance to the elderly."

The news also appears to be bleak for many non-elderly or disabled groups, following research commissioned by Egg.

The results of research by the online bank Egg has shown that the average household monthly income is just