FAMILIES shelling out up to £900 in monthly electrical bills for their loved ones’ specialist care equipment need targeted support before they face “impossible choices” on energy this winter, a charity has warned.

The MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Association warned many vulnerable people have been cutting back on food and turning down heating to cope with rising costs in a new report which must serve as a “wake-up call” for government.

A survey of households affected by MND  found 28 per cent had reduced their use of assistive equipment and 51 per cent experienced difficulties paying for food, heating and energy in the past 12 months.

Alex Massey, the charity’s head of campaigning, said: “People living with and affected by MND are having to make impossible choices between using essential equipment and facing costs they cannot afford.

“Winter is looming, and we’re adamant that people with MND shouldn’t spend precious time worrying about whether to eat, heat their home or turn on vital equipment.”