THE poorest adults could be forced to spend more than half of their income after housing on rising energy bills that could devastate the poorest families, analysis suggests.

Low-income families could spend, on average, 18 per cent of their income after housing costs on energy bills after April, according to analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

This rises to 54 per cent for single-adult households, and about a quarter for single parents and couples without children, assuming that the energy price cap will rise by just under 50 per cent from April.

In comparison, middle-income households are expected to spend on average 6 per cent of their incomes on energy bills, the analysis shows.

The JRF published the figures alongside its annual UK Poverty report, which it said shows a worrying increase in the number of children living in the deepest poverty.

About 1.8 million children were growing up in very deep poverty in 2019-20, an increase of half a million children since 2011-12.

Overall, 22 per cent of people in the UK were living in poverty in 2019-20: that’s 14.5 million people.

The JRF called for the government to help the poorest households with targeted emergency payments and to strengthen the “woefully inadequate” social security system, which is causing “avoidable hardship.”

JRF deputy director of policy and partnerships Katie Schmuecker said: “The fact that more children are in poverty and sinking deeper into poverty should shame us all.

“Rising energy prices will affect us all, but our analysis shows they have the potential to devastate the budgets of families on the lowest incomes.

“The government cannot stand by and allow the rising cost of living to knock people off their feet.”

Action for Children said poorer families with children will be hardest hit by cost-of-living rises as they face bigger bills, have smaller savings and are less able to take on extra work.

Director of policy and campaigns Imran Hussain said: “It’s been clear from our services for many years that more and more families have been falling into deep poverty.

“The government has been in denial about high and rising child poverty and simply doesn’t have a strategy to tackle it.”

A government spokesman said it recognises the pressures being faced and that decisive steps have been taken to support those affected.