Millions of Britons struggle to pay sizzling fuel bills

LONDON (AFP) - Around two million households in Britain will struggle this year to pay domestic gas and electricity bills, which have surged in line with soaring wholesale energy costs, according to a recent study.

By the end of 2006, the number of households facing fuel poverty -- spending over 10.0 percent of their total income on fuel -- will have doubled since 2003, according to the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG).

Domestic energy prices in Britain will have rocketed by some 35.0-percent over the same three-year period, government advisory body FPAG said last week.

FPAG has called for an extra 1.0 billion pounds (1.44 billion euros, 1.76 billion dollars) in funding from the British government, over the next four years, to help eliminate fuel poverty by 2010.

"The price increases are causing great hardship to vulnerable people," said FPAG chairman Peter Lehmann.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060319/ts_afp/britainenergyoilgas

are hungry for more profit. Nothing will stop them now.

This is just a preview of what going to happen in the US within the next decade as we face a natural gas crisis..

like in Britain...

The Brits should have government controlled energy companies, as should we here in the States, to keep this from happening. It IS a national security matter. It's not too hard to visualize who really controls both governments, is it? The United Petro Kingdom and The United Energy Companies of Amerika have their hands around the throats of every citizen of both countries. But they're NOT gouging us mind you, simple market fluctuations are the reason. :eyes:

...and how much of the cost is taxes? The British have an enormous tax burden, including 17% value added tax (VAT).

'sizzling' implies heat, that something's burning. These homes are, in fact, freezing. England can be quite cold during the winter. I'm willing to bet there are many homes which have the heat turned off because the occupants can't afford to pay the heating bill.

The title should be "Arctic" fuel bills.