SCOTTISH pensioners fuming at Ofgem’s energy price cap hike have renewed their calls for the scrapping of standing charges.

The Scottish Pensioners’ Forum (SPF) hit out after the regulator announced a 2 per cent increase in the cap on Wednesday, raising it from £1,720 to £1,755 per year from October 1, just as winter approaches.

The latest Scottish government surveys estimate that 861,000 — or 34 per cent — of households in Scotland live in fuel poverty, 491,000 of which are thought to live with “extreme” fuel poverty, figures the SPF warns could rise further alongside the cap.

SPF chairman David Edwards said: “In the grand scheme of things, it may not look like much, but for the most vulnerable people any increase in energy costs can be the difference between eating and heating this winter. 

“In 2014, Ofgem’s own research showed that almost 80 per cent of Scots were already rationing their winter energy use and prices were nowhere near what they are now, having risen as much as 40 per cent in the past few years.

“Britain is lauded as one of the world’s largest and most stable economies, yet it cannot secure basic necessities for the most vulnerable people in society — you couldn’t make it up.”

He added: “This price cap increase adds to the injustices already experienced by too many older people in Scotland, paying way more for their energy costs while living in some of the coldest parts of the UK.

“Standing charges have risen yet again despite consultation after consultation on their actual merits. It is high time that this inane practice is finally knocked on its head — once and for all.”