ONE in five families who care for a disabled relative are planning to cancel their Christmas celebrations this year due to soaring prices, research by a charity suggests. 

According to a survey of 1,007 families, released by disability charity Sense today, more than half said they were in debt and over a third were skipping meals to save money.

With energy bills soaring as temperatures drop below 0 across the country, over a third (38 per cent) said they will not buy Christmas presents, and a fifth (22 per cent) said they will cancel celebrations altogether.

The government has pledged to increase benefits in-line with inflation in April next year, but Sense warns that the delay to the uplift will leave “millions” of disabled families struggling to afford food and energy this winter. 

People with disabilities typically have higher living costs which makes them more vulnerable to soaring prices. 

Mother of three, Anna Tesdale, 40, from Chesterfield, says she was already skipping meals and has had to switch to frozen meals instead of fresh to reduce costs. She says she doesn’t know how she will cope if costs rise further.

Five years ago, her eldest Charlie was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder, which means he is unable to monitor his own temperature.

“He gets cold easily and if he gets too cold, he could go hypothermic,” she said.

“That’s why we’re so careful and have an electric heater to heat his room properly, but we can’t always afford to heat the rest of the house.” 

Ms Tesdale added that her children will receive fewer presents this year. 

Sense chief executive Richard Kramer said the government’s energy price guarantee cap doesn’t recognise that some disabled households use more energy. 

The charity is calling for targeted support for people with disabilities, including a social tariff.