Liam Lewis

Many Britons said they can't afford hundreds of pounds per month more as the cost of living crisis strangles household budgets, including EDF, British Gas, Bulb, and Shell Energy are among the companies listed and shamed online. Experts at Auxilione predicted that household bills would rise from January to £5,038 from April, but that analysts have predicted that prices will not return to 2020 levels for the first time in a decade. But energy companies have been merrily bumping direct debits even before the energy price cap was raised, and despite being in the middle of one of the world's hottest summers, when energy use is expected to be the lowest in history. And survivors have taken to social media to share their horror tales. One dissatisfied customer wrote: "This is not acceptable @edfenergy.' How do you expect people to find £473 every month? If you're looking for a direct debit increase by almost 88%, it's likely that £252 per month is near-impossible, and you're increasing your direct debit by almost 88%.' An EON customer whose direct debit was increased to £959-a-month from £714 from September 1 received his bill, calling the operation 'cash grabbing' and declaring: "I refuse to pay it.' "Despite being £177.17 IN CREDIT, @eonenergyuk has decided to double my monthly direct debit...again," a new blogger wrote. "Why have you automatically updated my direct debit when I've already overcharged you on this month's bill? I haven't agreed to the update, but let's just change it without asking if they can afford it." When you go and change them, there's no wonder why people are canceling direct debits.'

When his electricity company sent him an email urging him to commit to a set term of more than £3,600 per year, Matt Reed (left), an aircraft engineer from Cornwall, was outraged. Others have reported that sudden, unexpected rises in their energy bills have pushed them into financial ruin. When Martin Tang, 62, (right), ran the Royal Crown Chinese takeaway in Torry, Aberdeen, since the 1980s, he was stunned to see a £10,000 gas bill in the mail (bottom) that dated only three months.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed in May that the revenues of businesses such as BP will be subjected to a 25 percent fee, potentially raising the price of heating their homes in the coming months. On Thursday morning, Mr Sunak's successor, Nadhim Zahawi, along with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, will hold crisis talks with industry executives, demanding a breakdown of projected revenues and payouts as well as their investment plans. According to a Treasury source, this was beyond what these companies were supposed to produce and what they actually brought in.' We're exploring ways to move forward and faster on those earnings.'