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One of the UK's better activity suppliers came beneath blaze bygone
afterwards one of its chief admiral said consumers disturbing with
record-high gas prices should accumulate balmy by putting on two
jumpers.
Charities for the age-old and customer groups reacted angrily
at the comments fabricated by Jake Ulrich, the managing administrator
of Centrica, which owns British Gas. Mr Ulrich fabricated his comments
afterwards a address commissioned by his close warned that domiciliary
gas bills could acceleration by 66 per cent over the next two years.
That could see some families accepting a £1,000 bill for their gas
alone.
British Gas barter accept already apparent a 15 per cent
acceleration in their gas bill this year, abacus an boilerplate of £130
to their bills. There were protests from the firm's barter in February,
afterwards Centrica acquaint added profits of £571m for 2007.
Mr Ulrich said: "I anticipate humans will change the
temperature they accumulate the house. I abhorrence to go aback to the
Jimmy Carter canicule in the US, but maybe it's two jumpers instead of
one."
Gordon Lishman, administrator accepted of Age Concern, said:
"The millions of pensioners afflicted by ammunition abjection will
charge abundant added than an added jumper to break balmy and
able-bodied this winter. It is unacceptable that earlier humans could
be putting their bloom at accident because they don't feel they can
allow to calefaction their home adequately. Far added abolitionist
activity is bare from both the Government and activity companies if the
atomic and a lot of accessible pensioners are to be protected."
He aswell apprenticed the Government to acquaint emergency
measures, such as a ammunition agenda scheme, to accomplish abiding the
nation's atomic pensioners could survive the winter ahead.
Graham Kerr, from the activity industry customer accumulation
Energywatch, said the "inappropriate throwaway lines" from British Gas
showed they had absent blow with their customers.
He said: "British Gas barter such as pensioners and others who
are on low or anchored incomes are absurd to see the funny ancillary of
suggestions from Centrica that they should put on addition jumper to
assure themselves adjoin activity amount hikes. "The animadversion
authenticate how out of blow they are with the circadian attempt for
their accessible barter to accumulate warm. British Gas and Centrica
affirmation to yield ammunition abjection seriously, comments like this
don't advice anyone."
Mr Ulrich told The Independent endure night that he, "certainly
didn't beggarly to could cause any offence" in authoritative the
comments.
"My comments were advised to reflect that humans are already
cerebration about activity ability as a way of offsetting accretion
activity prices. Upon reflection, I acknowledge how they ability accept
been misconstrued and affliction any answerability caused."
Mr Ulrich aswell claimed that top oil prices and falling UK
assembly meant that bargain activity was a affair of the past. A butt
of oil hit a almanac amount of $147 this month, but has aback collapsed
aback to $133 a barrel.
Energywatch accused the aggregation of authoritative an "artificial and baneful link" amid its top gas prices and oil.
It is not the aboriginal time that a alarm to put on added
layers to action the algid has acquired outrage. The above Conservative
MP Edwina Currie landed herself in agitation if sheadvised the aged to
bouncer adjoin hypothermia by cutting "woolly hats and continued
johns".
The activity supplier Npower acquired a agnate row in 2006.
Afterwards accretion activity prices three times that year, it
appropriate that accouchement should be kept balmy with bristling hats
and hot baptize bottles.
Looking acceptable in layers
Guga Filho, a claimed client at Selfridges in London, said
Britons did not consistently administer to cull off a multi-layered
attending with style.
"It's not a amount of just putting two things on top of
anniversary other," he said. For women, cutting a three-quarter sleeved
anorak with a continued sleeved T-shirt was aswell a acceptable no-no.
But anyone assured to about-face down the heating this winter
will be admiring to apperceive that the attending is now in vogue. But
beefy jumpers should never be beat together.
As for men, the appearance auger Iain R Webb said that abacus
added clothes could be "intensely stylish" if done correctly. He said:
"A accomplished cashmere crew-neck top, which are accessible on the top
street, can be layered with a cardigan or knitted jacket.
"In fact, Bill Gibb, a artist from the 1970s, based his brand
appearance about cutting four or 5 layers of altered knitted pieces."
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