A mother fears she and her baby will be forced to sit in the cold as gas and electric bills are set to soar.

And a disabled woman says she is already relying on others as her fuel bills come to more than two thirds of her monthly allowance.

The worries come only days after regulator Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise by 80% on October 1.

It means typical gas and electricity bills will more than double from £1,971 to £3,549 a year.

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Watford town centre shoppers voiced their fears about the potential struggles ahead.

One, the full-time mum of a 23-month-old baby, painted a picture of a bleak autumn and winter.

She said: “My biggest fear is that we will struggle to pay the bills and we will be sitting in the cold.

“Even now, we could be at home all day and the smart meter comes to £6 and I don’t know what I have done.”

The 27-year-old Watford woman said she has already noticed food prices have increased in the past few months.

She said: “Normally we go to Tesco and do a shop that lasts for a week and a half, and it comes to £70. That would be for me, my partner and my daughter.

“Now it comes to £150. It was just insane.

“Then we tried Aldi and that came to £40, but the next shop came to £70.

“We are trying to budget, but we need food.

“We’d rather my daughter eat, and we will try and make a meal out of whatever food is left.”

A 58-year-old woman, who is also registered disabled, said she is having to rely on the help of others as bills increase.

She said: “My mum, who is 85, helps me financially.”

The woman from Abbots Langley receives an £800-a-month allowance from the Government, but her gas and electricity bills currently come to £550 a month.

In addition, her partner is unable to claim carer’s allowance because he works earning £18,000 a year.

She said: “But he works nights to help me during the day. I can’t even go shopping without him.”

She added: “The council doesn’t deem me ill enough to get a discount with my council tax because they see me as having too much money from my disability.”

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