Wales is the fuel poverty capital of Britain, with almost a third of households there suffering, a study for uSwitch.com found last Thursday.

The comparison website found that 32 per cent of households in Wales and 31 per cent in the East of England are “fuel poor” – defined as those spending 10 per cent or more of their net monthly income on energy bills.

London was found to have the lowest level of fuel poverty, with 16 per cent of households affected, although with large wealth anomalies across the city, researchers said the fuel poverty levels could be worse than the study suggests from using average incomes.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: “The fuel poor can be found in all types of households and in all parts of the country, but some regions and households are clearly more vulnerable than others.

“There is now real urgency for the government to deliver on fuel poverty and to act quickly to alleviate the misery being faced by those who cannot afford to heat their homes.”

The average household energy bill across the UK for a medium user of gas and electricity is £1,293 (€1,503) a year, rising to £1,312 (€1,526) for those who live in Wales.