Widowed Plymouth pensioner cannot afford heating since partner's death
Video report by Sam Blackledge
A pensioner from Plymouth who lost her partner just a few weeks ago has told ITV News she is living alone without putting her hot water or heating on.
As freezing weather sets in, 76-year-old Carol Rogers has begun using one of the more than 50 'warm banks' in Devon.
She says the cost of living crisis could most impact those who are lonely or struggling with grief and loss.
She said: "I don't have my heating on in the morning, and I don't have it on at night until about 8 o'clock.
"My hot water hasn't been on since September because it's far too expensive to run.
"I do my washing once a week, I can't remember the last time I did a roast dinner since he died. I usually make do with scrambled egg or beans on toast.
'I'm in a three-bedroom house which is very empty, very quiet and at times very cold. I dress to survive - thermals everywhere. Normally when I go home I wrap myself in a blanket and I do my knitting.
The Moments cafe in the centre of Plymouth is one of dozens across the region which now doubles as 'warm hubs', providing hot food and drinks and heating for those struggling to make ends meet.
Kate Smith, chief executive of Memory Matters which runs the facility, said: 'When we're trying to watch our pennies, sitting at home on your own can be really detrimental mentally and not great for our health.
"If there wasn't this issue of rising prices and rising inflation then people wouldn't be in this position in the first place. But, as social entrepreneurs, it's our job to make sure we can provide whatever we can."
The Government says it is committed to protecting people from excessively high costs through its energy bill support schemes.
But the Labour MP for Plymouth believes the very existence of warm banks is a worrying sign.
Luke Pollard said: "It's disgraceful that in 2022 we need warm banks to keep people warm and food banks to help people afford the very basic food stuffs to keep their families fed,' he said.
"But we do need to keep people warm this winter, and warm banks could be the difference between people dying in cold homes and being able to survive the winter."