People in the Midlands worry for future as energy price cap set to rise from October

ITV News Central's Pablo Taylor reports on 21-year-old Geordie, who is deaf blind. His parents say they need to use more energy than others to keep him healthy

An increase in the energy price cap is worrying for millions of people across the Midlands - but for others, it's a matter of the deepest concern.

People like Keith Butler, whose 21-year-old son Geordie is deaf blind. His disabilities require a number of devices to keep him healthy, including a monitor that has to be charged while he sleeps, and electric bed, and, crucially, a feeding machine.

They also have to keep the lights on semi-permanently.

"Even on a very sunny day, although you'd think it's OK, we have to close the curtains to keep out the bright sunlight and turn the light on so he's got some ambient light to see what he's doing."

Each of these things requires a huge amount of energy - and subsequently, a huge amount of money for the Redditch-based family to expend.

They've now resorted to leaving the house when he's at college. "If you're in the house...you've got lights coming on" says Keith, "if you're not in the house then they don't need to be used."

Geordie's mother, Helen, added "We're all going to be worried and nobody is going to know until the Spring whether it's going to be enough for us to get by and give our children what they need, so that their lives are not disrupted by this current crisis."

In Derbyshire, small business owner Clare Ransom told Phil Brewster she might have to close her tearoom down

In Belper, the story is both different, and similar, at the same time. Clare Ransom owns a tearoom in Belper. The cost of energy is affecting her ability to run a business, as well as her own income, to the point she's thinking about refusing to pay her electricity bills.

"I don't take a wage anyway," she explains. "Yet again staff are going to have hours cut. But how long can I keep doing that? The business won't run without staff so where's the balance?

"There is no balance. We're kind of taking every day as it comes at the moment."

Some of her customers are also worried about what would happen if tearoom were to close. "Since my husband passed away last year, I've come in every day to see my friends and there's always someone to talk to," said one.

"It would be heartbreaking really," said another. "I don't think the other cafes in Belper would accommodate us in the same way."

With energy prices set to rise even further in the New Year, people across the regions are looking for answers, otherwise they, like Clare, could be forced into drastic action.

"I can't keep sustaining that." she said. "At some point I am going to have to shut the door and say "I'm sorry. We're done."

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