The 6.4% price camp increase announced by Ofgem last week will have a huge effect on people in their homes and business owners across the UK.

We’re already preparing for the changes about to come into force including the National Insurance increase, the minimum wage rising, and having to deal with the fact that the costs of produce have gone up.

I’ve been vocal about my thoughts on these issues before, and this latest increase adds even more pressure.

One of my main issues with utility companies is their use of a variable direct debit system. What they do is estimate what they believe you are using and charge you accordingly. One month it might be two grand then four the following.

Take our restaurant, Dulse, for example. After hiring a specialist to look into it, we recently found out that an extra £34,800 has been taken from our account over the past two and half years.

This is what happens when you set up a DD with your utility company. They steal from you for years until you have a specialist look........

© Herald Scotland