Concerns have been raised for households in West Dunbartonshire as British Gas announces its second price increase this year.

The West Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau CEO Joe McCormack said the most vulnerable households will be affected.

He said: "The concern is that when the weather turns colder people are forced to make a choice between eating or heating their homes.

“This is unacceptable that families must choose between being either cold or hungry in 2018.”

British Gas has announced the second price rise of 2018 to its standard variable tariff.

With fuel poverty reported in February this year at 27 per cent, more than a quarter of households in West Dunbartonshire are already struggling to heat their homes, said CAB. They urged residents to get free, confidential advice and information about different tariffs and other ways to cut costs from energy advice officers.

Mark Hodges, chief executive of Centrica Consumer, said: “We understand that any price increase adds extra pressure on customers’ household bills. However, this reflects the sharp rise in wholesale energy costs.“In response to rapidly rising wholesale market costs, since April a number of other energy supply companies have increased their SVT prices and Ofgem have also announced a second increase to the prepayment meter cap.”

Linsey Close, the energy advice officer at Clydebank CAB, added: “I would urge people to come and get advice about the best energy tariffs for them by switching supplier or tariff.

“With many suppliers already having raised prices twice this year I would urge people to act now, do not to leave this until Autumn or Winter, as prices may possibly have risen again by then.”

“I’d also urge people to pass this information on to anyone they know who is vulnerable and on a low income - because no matter what a person’s financial circumstances are, nobody in this day and age should have to suffer the cold Scottish winter temperatures in their own home.”