Letter: David Cameron must act over energy prices

With the recent announcement of another major hike in gas and electricity tariffs about to hit soon (your report, 8 June), surely this time David Cameron must bite the bullet and do something for the people of the UK.

He promised great action against the greedy bankers who nearly killed off our country and then got cold feet and scarpered when they said they would all leave and take their avarice overseas. How sad he did not let them all go.

Once again, the utilities are set to cripple those less fortunate in order to pay obscene salaries and bonuses and to raise dividends for shareholders at the expense of the customer. Mr Cameron must act now and break up the energy companies before he has hypothermia and death in abundance on his watch this coming winter among millions who will be forced to choose between food and heat. Voters across the United Kingdom will never forgive or forget if he leaves them high and dry again. The least he can do is to reinstate the full winter allowance for the elderly.

Iain J McConnell

Speedybank

Gifford, East Lothian

As WE see the energy companies increasing domestic energy costs by 20 per cent it should ring alarm bells with our government that many more families and older people in particular are going to slip into drastic fuel poverty this winter.

Unless the government increases winter fuel allowance to 600 per home there will have to be some hard decisions made on how the household budget is to be allocated between fuel and food.

Dennis Grattan

Mugiemoss Road

Bucksburn, Aberdeen

The announcement of sharply higher charges for gas and electricity should come as no surprise.

These higher prices are a direct consequence of the decision in countries such as Germany to close down their nuclear power stations. Once nuclear power is turned off the only way of guaranteeing baseload supplies of energy in the short term is to turn to a dirty, carbon-based fuel such as gas.

The inevitable increase in demand for gas will lead to sharply higher prices at the same time as our energy bills are rising to fund expensive wind power with the result that even more families will be pushed into fuel poverty.

The question is when will the SNP government recognise that its support of wind farms and its rejection of nuclear is having a direct adverse impact on society's poorest?

Alan J Black

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh