'Catastrophic' winter ahead if energy bills surge goes untackled

Dr Tricia Keilthy, head of social justice and policy at St Vincent de Paul, said: 'This is going to intensify I’d imagine. And if it does, next winter could be catastrophic for people.'

The Government must take action now to prevent a “catastrophic" winter as energy costs soar, advocates have said.

Costs are expected to surge across the board in the wake of this week's Bord Gáis Energy price hike.