People will either starve or freeze, this winter as the cost of energy and food rockets, according to a leading advice charity.

Choosing between heating and eating is a real choice facing more people this year as Citizens Advice Scotland finds people asking for help on both issues.

A new study for the charity found that one in ten people who asked for support on gas and electric bills also sought advice about accessing food.

READ MORE: The great energy rip off: Why are poorer people paying more for gas and electricity?

People seeking advice on energy bills has more than doubled this year compared with last year.

The period of the report covers April to June this year after the energy cap was raised and bills started to rise.

With further big increases planned in October and again in January the situation is likely to get worse.

Derek Mitchell, Citizens Advice Scotland Chief Executive said: “More than one in every ten people seeking help with an energy issue also requires help with food insecurity. Let’s be absolutely clear what that means – some people face the prospect of freezing or starving this winter.

“This crisis is affecting everyone, but some people are especially at risk – our data shows higher demand for advice from council tenants, those out of work and those unable to work. That to me suggests broad support alone will not be enough – there needs to be targeted help for the vulnerable.”

READ MORE: Energy crisis: Major provider says average annual bill is £5000 for its tariffs

The number of people asking for advice on prepayment meters for gas and electric has almost doubled in the three months this spring, up by 92%.

Citizens Advice Scotland said: “If you've run out of gas or electricity, your energy supplier should give you temporary credit if you can't top up, for example, because you can't afford it or you're having problems topping up.”

The analysis identified trends in people seeking specific types of advice together highlighting the link between fears over heating and eating costs.

For example, it discovered 12% of cases of people looking for utility advice also saw the client receive advice about foodbanks.

Mr Mitchell added: “We are seeing these issues before a toxic cocktail this winter of soaring energy bills, growing inflation and higher interest rates. People are hanging on by their fingertips and it’s the summer – how are they expected to cope when the temperature drops and bills rise?”

Citizens Advice Scotland told people to get in touch if they need help and urged governments to act urgently.

He said: “ What we are seeing is frankly frightening. We don’t judge, we just help. That help though needs to be backed up by policymakers delivering the kind of urgent and significant policy interventions to help people.

“Make no mistake, this is a challenge on a scale of the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 pandemic and will require solutions to match that.”