Consumers often "paying over the odds" for heating

A number of UK householders are facing large energy bills, an expert suggests, regardless of recent wholesale cost decreases.

Consumers looking to lower their energy bills in order to pay off credit card debt may be interested to hear the view of Robert Hammond from Consumer Focus.

The energy expert believes that wholesale energy cost reductions are not inspiring suppliers to lower their bills.

He said: "Millions of people are paying over the odds to heat their homes this winter, despite huge falls in the wholesale price of gas."

Mr Hammond's organisation now wants to see the Competition Commission launch an investigation, looking at whether people are getting a fair deal on their energy bills.

Earlier in November, a Consumer Focus Wales report suggested that many Welsh people are still opting to use cash when buying products, even though they could save money by using direct debit payments.