'Prices have trebled and there's no way out': The town where many fear bills will bring a bitter winter
29.05.2022 - 10:05
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A woman sits on a bench outside Middleton Shopping Centre. Clutching a 99p McDonald’s cheeseburger, the sun momentarily breaks through the clouds as she points to a friend beside her.
"She’s had to buy four potatoes instead of a bag because she can’t afford it," she says. "We’re devastated – we're devastated because of money. We haven’t got any even though we work full time."
Like millions of people across the UK, the pair are terrified as the cost of living continues to surge. It comes as energy bosses confirmed the energy price cap will rise once again in October – plunging millions into fuel poverty.
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Carol Pennington lives on her own. The 63-year-old says she tries not to think about the rising cost of living but feels sorry for those with young children.
"I'm trying not to think about it at the end of the day. I can't spend all the time worrying," she told the Manchester Evening News. We've got no kids but I feel sorry for those who do. What's it going to be like in 20 years' time?
"It's awful – it's rubbish. Petrol is going up every other day. It's hard for people who have to go to work and take children to school."
Neil Richmond was born and raised in Middleton. The 60-year-old believes the cost of living has had a negative impact on the town, seeing some well-known shops in the area recently close for good.
"This town is not the way it was," he told the Manchester Evening News. "I'm 60, I was born here and this wasn't it. Loads of shops have shut down. There was a gentleman's outfitters that was there for years."
Energy regulator Ofgem say they are expecting an energy price cap "in the region of £2,800"