Consumer Focus: Unfair energy price rises will push thousands into fuel poverty

Mike O'Connor CBE, chief executive of Consumer Focus, hits out at 'unfairness' of rises and the risk it will push hundreds of thousands into 'fuel poverty':

"This price rise will send a shock wave across the country. The impact on customers will be severe, piling more pressure on severely stretched household budgets and pushing hundreds of thousands more households into fuel poverty.

"Consumers simply don't trust that energy companies have customers' interests at heart and rightly question whether prices are fair. Wholesale costs have gone up but they are still around a third lower than their 2008 peak."