Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned 'civil unrest isn't far away' and demanded Rishi Sunak does more to 'keep people fed and warm' as the cost of living crisis grips Britain.
The consumer champion, who has built a loyal following for his financial advice, said lower to middle income earners have 'nothing left to cut back on'.
He said the rising level of inflation affecting prices of food and heating has left people unable to find a way to pay their bills.
He warned if people cannot keep their families fed or warm then 'civil unrest is not very far off' and urged Rishi Sunak to ensure all middle income earners - those earning around £30,000 a year - have at least half their energy price rise covered this April.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr Lewis said the current cost of living crisis is the worst since he found his website, Money Saving Expert, in 2003, and that he was 'scared for people'.
He told the newspaper: 'For people towards the bottom end, there’s nothing to cut back on. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are people we have to prevent freezing or starving.
'We need to keep people fed. We need to keep them warm. If we get this wrong right now, then we get to the point where we start to risk civil unrest. When breadwinners cannot provide, anger brews and civil unrest brews – and I do not think we are very far off.'
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis (pictured) has warned 'civil unrest isn't far away' as the cost of living crisis grips Britain
Mr Lewis demanded Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) does more to 'keep people fed and warm'
At the start of this month, energy bills rose by £700-a-year to the £2,000 barrier meaning millions of Britons face being unable to afford to put the heating on, cook warm meals or have hot water.
On April 1 - nicknamed 'Awful April' because the cost of living crisis really began to bite - energy bills soared by 54 per cent, the equivalent of £693 per year, while petrol rose by 39 per cent, an increase of £23 per tank.
Add in increased council tax contributions, a 1.25 per cent increase in National Insurance contributions and other costs, including increased water, broadband, phone and TV bills, the average household is expected to spend up to £2,620 extra this year.
Mr Lewis, who originally started using his website to help people save hundreds of pounds a year, said people are now stopping him in the street and sending him messages about how they are unable to make their finances add up.
He said he fells 'slight sick' that the current cost of living crisis has forced him to start a new feature on his website called Heat The Human which includes suggestions such as putting hot water bottles inside sleeping bags as it is too expensive to heat the whole house.
'This is one of the richest countries in the world. It’s pretty desperate, isn’t it?' he added.
British households are facing unprecedented rises to most of their monthly bills
Energy bills – up 54%, £693 a year
Annual energy bills will soar by 54 per cent today as regulator Ofgem raises the price cap for an average home to £1,971 from £1,277. Experts believe it will be £600 more from October.
Petrol - up, 39%, £23 per tank
Fuel prices have surged to a record high of £1.66 a litre of petrol and £1.78 for diesel as it emerged that motorists have been hit by daily increases for six weeks.
The cost of filling up a typical family car with a 55-litre tank is now £81.41, up from £58.56 in May 2020, when petrol prices plunged because of the first coronavirus lockdown.
Council tax – up 3.5%, £67 a year, on average
More than half of town halls will charge over £2,000 in average council tax bills this April. The typical Band D bill in England will be £1,966 – up 3.5 per cent on last year. The highest in the country will be in Rutland, where residents will receive bills of £2,300. The highest increase is in Sandwell in the West Midlands – up by 5.2 per cent. For the first time, more than half of local authorities will charge in excess of £2,000 for Band D households.
National insurance, up 1.25%
National insurance increases worth around £6billion are taking effect in a few days.
For employees they would previously pay 12% on earnings up to £50,270 and 2% on anything above that. From April 6, the rate goes up to 13.25% and 3.25% respectively. For the self-employed, rates will go up from 9% and 2% to 10.25% and 3.25%.
Payments will only be collected on wages above £9,880, although this rises to £12,570 in July.
Water bills – up 1.7% - £7, a year
Water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 1.7% to £419. South West Water customers will pay £515.
Broadband, phones and TV – £42 or more a year
Sky is hiking prices of broadband and TV channels by an extra £43 a year from April in a
