Lonely pensioner struggling with bills lives in dark and sleeps next to his will
A lonely pensioner who cannot afford energy bills sleeps in the dark each night alongside his will, fearing he will die alone.
John Foster, 76, was even forced to turn off his fridge and keep milk outside his door each night to keep cool as the price of electricity soars.
The retired shipyard worker has no family to help and no says he is "completely alone" in his struggle to survive every day.
He told how he now lives in the house he grew up in with his parents and siblings, and feels "isolated" from the world and is just "existing".
Heartbreakingly, John now lays his will and funeral arrangements out every night before sleeping as he fears not waking up every morning.
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John explained how his entire family passed away and he now feels completely isolated (Mark Taylor / Channel 4)Speaking to Channel 4 Dispatches, he said: "I started doing this when my sister died. I've got no family - they've all gone - so there's nobody to do things like this.
'If anyone comes into the house this is the first thing they're going to see. They will phone the funeral directors, they'll come out and everything will be done."
John described how he now feels sad all the time while looking back on the death of his entire family.
He explained how his miner brother died four days before his 41st birthday, his sister died five years ago and his parents both died within 27 hours of each other.
Without every marrying and with no children, John added: "I can't believe I'm the last one here. It takes getting your head around it, you just can't work it out."
John described how he now feels sad all the time while looking back on the death of his entire family (c4/Britain's Forgotten Pensioners)In his brutal struggle to survive every day, Dispatches showed John receiving help from Karen Noble - from local charity Pallion Action Group - who advised him on how to access benefits which could help pay for his bills and food.
In total, John's benefits rights came to an extra £131.25 every week, which the pensioner was totally unaware was available to him.
John added: "I'm getting a lot more money now, which I've been entitled to for a few years and I didn't know, I had no idea."
John sleeps with his will and funeral plans visible each night (c4/Britain's Forgotten Pensioners)He went on to explain how when his siblings and parents passed away, authorities failed to pickup on his struggle and he was unable to access online information.
National Energy Action poll commissioned by Channel 4 for the documentary revealed the struggles elderly people are facing due to rising gas and electricity bills.
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It revealed 19% of over-65s went to bed earlier than usual for warmth, while 1.8million older people turned off their heating completely this winter to save money.
Meanwhile, three in five over 65s said they used their heating less than they ordinarily would.
John sleeps with his will and funeral plans visible each night for fear he will die in his sleep (c4/Britain's Forgotten Pensioners)Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: "Many viewers will be shocked by this programme, and they are right to be.
"Pensioner poverty fell steadily for a generation but then it rose again and now, as this documentary demonstrates, it's truly back with a vengeance.
"What we see in this programme ought to be a wake-up call that prompts an important discussion about how we ensure every older person can live decently and with dignity, free from the fear of the next big unaffordable bill."
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