"We feel cut off.", "I have no idea how we will cope.", "I feel scared everyday and exhausted."

These are the devastating responses from anonymous Swindon locals - people who might be neighbours, colleagues, and friends - to a recent survey on the effect of the cost of living crisis.

With energy bills, inflation, interest rates, petrol, and even food costs all rising Citizens Advice Swindon conducted a survey to see how people were coping and discovered that 50 per cent of respondents had suffered a decline in their mental health. 

Many were worried about how they would afford to eat or keep warm and they opened up about how that made them feel. 

One said: “My income does not cover my basic bills. I have a pre-payment energy meter and have not had the money for gas for 3 days, and no hot water! I have never been in this situation before, something must be done.”

''I am very frightened of the winter to come. There is nothing left to cut back on, chronically sick and disabled. No prospect of working ever again. I feel cheated having worked hard all my life," added another. 

Another respondent said: ''life is a struggle and in all our lives we have had to economise but this year is almost becoming a step too far with no light at the end of the tunnel"

“I have 2 jobs, my partner has 1, we have 2 children and we can barely cover the cost of everything we need just to survive. Leisure activities and days out are a thing of the past. We all hardly see each other because we have to work so much just to pay for basic bills and it seriously affects our physical and mental health," said another. 

“We feel cut off much more now as we will struggle to afford fuel for our old car to visit our sons and grandchildren or even go out for a drive…., it is isolating and this does not help with my mental health.”

For these people, things are about to get worse as energy bills are predicted to hit £3,200 per year, following a predicted 65% increase in the energy price cap in October. 

A spokesperson for Citizens Advice Swindon said: We know that these types of cost of living rises always hit lower-income families and people on fixed incomes harder.

"Meaning, that although the Chancellor announced a welcomed package of measures to help households, for many, these higher-than-predicted new October rises will be well above the financial support being provided by the government."

Citizen's Advice says that for the first time ever referrals to food banks and charity support reached the top three enquiry areas this year. 

To help further it launched a new Advice and Financial First Aid project on July 22 which aims to give people the tools and support they need to increase income where possible and give people the knowledge and confidence to manage their money and make better informed financial decisions

The spokesperson continued: "Citizens Advice Swindon is here for everyone, whoever you are, whatever the problem.

"We provide a holistic advice service to Swindon residents on a full range of topics including debt, benefits, housing, employment, immigration and more."

To contact Citizens Advice call 0808 2787813 on Monday - Friday between 10am and 4pm or fill out the contact form on the website citizensadviceswindon.org.uk/contact-form

In recent new, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to freeze the energy price cap, with a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

He said his party's £29bn energy plan will save the typical family £1,000 immediately, get energy costs under control for the future and help tackle inflation.