Cost of living keeps me awake at night - retired teacher

Cathryn Withey said she and her husband are worried about trying to make their pensions stretch

A retired headteacher has spoken of her fear of being able to afford her rising energy bills as she contends with living on a fixed pension income.

Cathryn Withey, from Bradford, said she wakes at night "worrying about the cost of living and how we're going to cope".

She is among a number of people living on a pension who have told the BBC about their concerns.

One recent study suggests two-thirds of over 65s have cut their energy usage in the past fortnight.

The research by the Office for National Statistics also found that a quarter of adults had difficulty keeping warm in their living rooms during the same period.

Anita Lockwood, who lives alone in West Yorkshire, said: "I worry about putting my heating on. I worry about when I go shopping. I just live under stress all the time.

"I check that smart meter every day to see how much I've used and I've [only] just got my pension coming in. I just find that we're going backwards."

Pensioner Anita Lockwood said she finds the situation "very daunting"

Mrs Withey has been caring for her husband since retiring and said their energy bills were "terrifying" because the heating had to be kept on all the time due to his poor health.

"It's a huge worry to me because of the bills, which are going to double or treble over the next few months," she said.

"When you're faced with outrageous costs on fixed incomes, you go to bed worrying.

"We sit endlessly talking about how we can cut costs and reduce our outgoings. It takes away your joy of what should be a nice time in your life when you're retired together.

"I used to think retirement [was] going to be lovely, but actually the reality is very different."

Mrs Withey now cares for her husband at their home in Bradford

Government cold weather payments have been paid out for the first time this winter, with people claiming certain benefits eligible to claim £25 for each full week of sub-zero temperatures.

More than 11m pensioners will also receive regular winter fuel payments boosted by an extra £300 this year as Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the government wanted to do "everything we can to support pensioners who are often the most exposed to higher costs".