This week our readers reacted to councillors comments regarding the latest Ofgem announcement of energy bills rising.

The announcement indicated that energy bill price cap will rise by 54 per cent, meaning for millions of households across the UK, energy prices may rise by £693.

Carlisle Labour Councillor, Lisa Brown, said the energy bills will turn the 'cost of living crisis' into a 'cost of living catastrophe'.

The price cap rise, which will take effect from April, will apply to 15 million households who have chosen to pay for their electricity in the open-market, opposed to those on fixed-price deals.

Cllr Brown said we can expect to see a rise of foodbank usage, evictions and further levels of increased poverty.

Whilst further financial support is going to be issued by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Cllr Brown said it "won't make a dent in support needed".

The City Council's deputy leader Gareth Ellis said the country's reliance on imported gas and renewable energy has made us 'particularly exposed'.

Cllr Ellis said we should not be importing gas as we trillions of it under the UK.

"Environmentalists would rather we imported it from despotic war mongering regimes than get the stuff out of the ground ourselves. Unfortunately these people seem to have the ear of the government, and or often the least likely to be impacted," he said.

Cllr Ellis also said green taxes should be suspended as 12 per cent of our energy bills go to pay people generating energy from solar panels.

Our reader Claire Hill wrote on social media: "It’s absolutely disgraceful, folk can barely afford to survive as it is."

A commentator by the name of CarlisleWasp said: "Conservatives who have failed us by not looking to the future of clean energy is why we're seeing such high energy bills. Look at the rest of Europe to see how it can be done and how it is being done."

JrDogs wrote: "I can't disagree on this, half of our energy comes from Gas....we won't be getting weaned off gas anytime soon, no matter the wishful thinking of the eco-mad."

Emily Robinson weighed in with: "I never chose to pay for my energy on the 'open market', I’m on a fixed tariff that’s coming to an end and I can’t get a cheaper deal than what the price cap will be, don’t make it sound like it’s been a choice."