Clackmannanshire mum worried daughter won't survive winter if electricity is switched off
Carolynne Hunter's 12-year-old daughter, Freya, has severe cerebral palsy and needs round-the-clock care.
A Clackmannanshire mum is worried her daughter might not survive if the UK's gas and electricity supply is switched off in winter.
Carolynne Hunter's 12-year-old daughter, Freya, has severe cerebral palsy and has a room full of life saving medical equipment that needs powered throughout the day.
Bosses at the National Grid have warned there could be power outages between 4pm-7pm during the coldest nights in January and February.
"I have to be able to see what I am doing"
She told Clyde 1: "I need to be able to switch on her equipment and I have to be able to see what I am doing.
"If Freya coughs and is not able to clear mucus from her mouth then we need to suction it out.
"If the suction machine is not powered by electricity then we cannot get the mucus out.
"I have to be able to see what I am doing because if I suction Freya too deeply into her mouth then it could hit a nerve and cause a fatal reaction."
Carolynne's energy bills are already sitting at around £500 per month with the energy price cap introduced by Liz Truss.
She has to keep Freya's room warm all the time to avoid her temperature dropping because she can easily catch hypothermia.
"Winter is horrible for our family"
Carolynne added: "We tend not to heat the rest of our house because it is not an energy efficient home and so the rest of us often go cold.
"My eldest daughter, Katie, is studying at university and it is miserable for her writing essays in the cold.
"Winter is horrible for our family and now it is becoming unaffordable to buy food."
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