Energy prices: Households turning to coal ahead of 'hard winter'

Jo Twist said she had made the switch to coal and logs after oil prices more than doubled

People are turning towards coal and logs to heat their homes after a surge in energy prices.

A coal merchant in Somerset said he was busier now than he had been in the past 30 years.

One woman making the switch said her guests would "get a blanket rather than heating" when visiting her home.

The government announced an energy bill support package in the mini-budget but calls have been made for long-term action such as help with insulation.

Andrew Mount, from Burnham Coal Supplies, said he is seeing some customers coming back to coal from gas and claims shoppers are stockpiling.

Jo Twist, who lives in a village near Yeovil in Somerset, said her coal bunker was raided by a thief who had resorted to "desperate measures".

Notwithstanding, she said she was glad she had made the switch from oil to coal and logs after prices more than doubled - from £500 to £1,200 for 1,000 litres of oil.

She said she had not set her fire yet and was holding off for as long as possible.

"When people come around they get a blanket rather than the heating - that's what we were like when we were children," she said.

Jo Twist's coal store was raided by a thief

Ms Twist said she was "shocked" when her coal was targeted, but is happy the North Cadbury community reached out with a "flurry" of offers to help her restock.

Ian Preston is the director of household energy services at the Centre for Sustainable Energy and runs the Safe and Warm Somerset programme.

He said: "People are facing a really cold, hard winter.

"They can't afford their gas and electricity bills and will try and find ways to keep themselves warm on a tighter budget."

Responding to concerns about the environmental impact of coal and logs, he urged "balanced thinking".

Mr Preston added: "Lower income households are already contributing to our climate change targets because they have much lower carbon emissions than most households.

"We need to be balanced in thinking that people's survival this winter is really important and it would not be right to say 'thinking about climate change you shouldn't be warm'."

He called for longer-term support from the government - such as insulation for homes.

The government says households in Great Britain will save an average of £1,000 a year (based on prices from October) with its Energy Price Guarantee.

The policy will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas, with a typical household expected to pay about £2,500 a year on average for their energy bill in the next two years from 1 October.