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A pensioner who has seen her energy bill raised by more than 400% says she fears for her life this winter. Joan Scotten, 97, was sent the extortionate bill by British Gas who told her that her monthly energy bill was being raised from £57.91 a month to £270.46, with no explanation given as to why.

Mrs Scotten who previously worked in administration at Rolls Royce, now lives alone in Derby and told the Daily Express that she might have to sacrifice many of the things that bring her joy in the twilight of her life to cover the cost, or risk freezing once the weather turns cold. She said: "I have no idea how I am going to pay for it, I really don't. I have always paid my way and I live within my means but I expect that I will have to cut out a lot if I want to use the heating but I haven't worked out how I will do that just yet."

Earlier this year, Keir Starmer pledged to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030 but Mrs Scotten believes that the Prime Minister and the Labour government care little for the impact of energy prices on pensioners such as her.

Mrs Scotten was one of millions to lose her winter fuel payment last year and lays a portion of the blame for her predicament at the foot of the government.

She added: "I'm not surprised that this has happened now that Labour are back in problem, it is exactly what happened last time they were in power.

"It really does feel sometimes like they would be happy for the elderly like me to die off and be less of a burden on the state. That might sound shocking but it really is how it makes you feel.

"I am in the twilight of my life and I have had a good life but the time I have left is starting to look bleak."

Mrs Scotten's son, Graham has tried to resolve the matter for his mother who has trouble hearing and is unable to use a computer.

He believes that Centrica, the parent company of British Gas have been obstructive and unhelpful in refusing to speak to him on his mother's behalf and continually asking her to raise her concerns online.

Neither Mrs Scotten nor her son are aware of any arrears they owe and argue that if arrears have built up, British Gas should communicate with them and should never have allowed them to grow to such an extent in the first place.

He said: "All she has been given is a letter with no justification as to why, I still have no clue why it has gone up by this magnitude.

"British Gas are hiding behind GDPR laws but she struggles to hear over the phone and is barely able to use a TV remote let alone an online chatbot.

"There is no consideration given to the limitations of people of her generation so in instances like this, with pensioners who are not internet savvy, there is simply no way for her to find out more information or raise a concern and they are silenced."

Mr Scotten worries about how his mother will cover the cost of the energy hike and believes there will be many more pensioners just like her across the country whose lives are in danger once the nights turn colder.

He added: My mother was 11 when the Second World War broke out. These people come from a generation where they keep calm and carry on and they grew up in a time when the government tells you what is best for you and you often believe them.

"This generation are stoic, they don't protest, they just get on with it and my worry is that my mother or others like her will just not turn their boiler on this winter and they will try and get on with it.

"It feels just like covid again where the elderly are dispensable and those in power are thinking 'let the old ones die off.'

"It is cruel, how many people in their 90s can take a four times hit to their outgoings? You see the huge profits and bonuses these executives at energy companies are making whilst people like my mother are scrambling around in the latter years of their life trying to find £200."

Last year, British Gas CEO Chris O'Shea earned a basic salary of £1.1 million whilst his overall package, including bonuses and share-related pay totalled a staggering £4.3 million.

The year previously, Mr O'Shea earned around £8 million after being the beneficiary of a generous bonus scheme of around £5.3 million according to company reports.

Centrica recently posted an operating profit of £549million for the first six months of the year and has seen its market value grow by 250% in the last five years due largely to higher energy prices following the covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

A British Gas spokesperson said: "We understand that vulnerable customers may need additional support with their energy costs. While we cannot comment on individual cases without consent from the customer, we want to highlight the support available to our customers who may be struggling.

"Customers in arrears can set up instalment plans to spread payments over time while continuing to pay for ongoing usage. We also offer industry leading schemes like 'You Pay, We Pay', where eligible customers can have payments they make towards their debt matched 100% by us. We encourage anyone who is struggling to contact us so we can help find the right support."