Cost of living: Poor families 'relying on Pot Noodles'

Energy prices will rise by £693 a year for millions of households after regulator Ofgem increased the price cap on bills by 54%

A church food service in Bradford says spiralling energy costs are forcing some to rely on kettle-cooked instant meals to keep rising bills down.

St Stephen's Church's pop-up pantry says others are keeping their lights off to save money, with one user "crying herself to sleep" with worry.

Meanwhile a Leeds debt charity says it's "inundated" with inquiries from people both with and without incomes.

The government will "step in" to help with costs, the Chancellor said.

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Energy regulator Ofgem's new price cap - or the maximum amount suppliers can charge customers for each unit of energy - will rise by £693 from April, causing bills for the average customer to rise to almost £2,000.

Energy firms are struggling under the weight of surging wholesale gas prices, with the 54% rise on standard tariffs allowing them to pass some of that cost onto customers.

Sue, who has already seen an increase in her energy costs, describes dealing with rising bills as "very hard"

But Sue, who uses the pop-up pantry, said: "We were paying £116 a month for gas and electric and it has gone up to £133, which is a big jump for people like us.

"If I have to put [the heating] on, I'll have to put it on and be in debt for the rest of my life".

The scheme, which is run by community organisation Shine West Bowling, sees users getting 16 items of predominantly fresh food for £5, with £1 put into a credit union savings account.

"It's hard, you cry yourself to sleep some nights and wonder where the next food is going to come from," she added.

After the BBC visited the centre, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has outlined plans to soften the blow via council tax rebates and help with bills, providing the majority of families with a total of £350 to help them adjust to higher prices.

Stephen Woodrow, Shine community engagement coordinator, said: "People are coming along because they can't afford their food or they're sitting in the dark.

"Some are coming and saying, 'can you give us Pot Noodles so we can boil our kettle and we don't have to cook a full meal'."

Stephen Woodrow says the pop-up pantry service at St Stephen's Church is seeing new people every week

The cost of food and energy costs have recently soared, with consumer prices up by 5.4% in the year to December.

Sylvia Simpson, project director at the Leeds Money Buddies charity, said: "We had one recently where she was choosing between heating her home or eating a warm microwave meal as she turned the fire off to turn the microwave on.

"Lots of people are coming in with different inquiries relating to their budgets and how they can manage and it's not just the poorest of people as well - we're getting nurses, people that have an income as well, but are faced with that choice of whether to heat or eat."

Mr Sunak told MPs: "For me to stand here and pretend we don't have to adjust to paying higher prices would be wrong and dishonest.

"But what we can do is take the sting out of a significant price shock for millions of families by making sure the increase in prices is smaller initially and spread over a longer period."