The last two months have been quite frightening for many people who now can’t stand the sight of the postman as he delivers bills, demands and threatening letters as the cost-of-living crisis seemingly spins out of control.

But there was a reality we already knew – and that was that nearly a quarter of adults in Britain were struggling to pay their household bills even before the sharp increase in energy bills reported a couple of months ago.

The cost of basics – food, energy and clothing, especially in family households is a real worry. But more data reveals that average wages are not keeping pace. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of adults polled by the Office for National Statistics towards the end of March said that they were finding it difficult or very difficult to pay their usual bills. That was up from 17 per cent in November. And this is before the war in Ukraine and Covid in China had pushed prices up as rapidly as they have.

Prices were already on the march last year and Ukraine only added to the price pressures.

Almost 90 per cent of those surveyed by the ONS said that their cost of living had increased, compared with six in ten back in November. Just over a third (34 per cent) now report that they are finding it very difficult keeping up with their bills from last month.

A third of mortgage payers and renters said that they were finding it tough to make their monthly payments according to the survey. 

All this weighs heavy on so many householders. Right now, the weather is improving, heating usage is falling and people will adjust where they can to other inflationary burdens. However, in October Ofcom will review the energy price cap once again, which many analysts think will increase yet again by as much as 25 per cent.

It is anticipated that 47 per cent of all households in Britain will be struggling to pay their bills by the time the winter arrives, in just six months’ time. Already, credit card debt has reached an all-time high and savings are falling faster than at any time before records began, meaning these same households will be less prepared when heating bills shoot up as the weather forces up the thermostats. Clearly, the cost-of-living crisis is set to get worse.