ONE in six households in Wyre Forest were in fuel poverty when the energy crisis began two years ago, new figures show.

National Energy Action said the data "only tells part of the story" as the energy crisis has worsened over the past two years.

Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 7,663 households in Wyre Forest were in fuel poverty in 2021 – 16.5 per cent of homes in the area.

Energy prices increased significantly towards the end of 2021 with many suppliers in the UK going out of business. By the end of December 2021, 28 energy companies had closed their doors.

The proportion of homes living in fuel poverty in Wyre Forest was up from 2020, when 15.7 per cent of households struggled to heat their homes.

A household is considered to be fuel poor if they are living in a property with an energy efficiency rating of band D or below and their disposable income, after paying housing and energy costs, is below the official poverty line.

Nationally, about 3.2 million households in England (13.1 per cent) were in fuel poverty two years ago.

The West Midlands had the highest level of households struggling to heat their homes at 18.5 per cent for the region.

The worst hit areas were Birmingham (23.2 per cent), Stoke (22.9 per cent), and Wolverhampton (21.8 per cent).