'Poverty' alert over energy price rises.

AT LEAST 250,000 UK households will be pushed into fuel poverty if British Gas increases its prices by 15% this year as expected, it was claimed today.

Predicted sharp rises in energy bills mean Government targets for cutting numbers of people who struggle to pay for heating will not be met.

A recent Department of Trade and Industry report found 1.5 million households were in fuel poverty - meaning heating their homes to an adequate standard cost over 10% of their income - at the start of 2005.

Consumer price comparison website uSwitch.com said this figure could shoot up to 2.3 million by 2007 based on the bill hikes expected from British Gas, the UK's largest energy supplier.

Last year Centrica, which owns British Gas, warned of price hikes in 2006 because of major increases in the wholesale cost of gas and electricity.

British Gas lost 1.1 million customers in 2004 after hiking prices by 12.4% in September following a 5.9% increase in January.

uSwitch.com predicted it was "highly unlikely" the Government would meet its target of eradicating all fuel poverty by 2016.