Chesterfield mum with cold allergy facing ‘life or death’ situation after energy price hike

A mum who suffers a severe allergic reaction when she’s exposed to the cold says she’s in a “life or death” situation following the huge energy price hike.

Nyree Clark, 40, has severe idiopathic cold urticaria, a condition that leaves her with painful rashes and breathing difficulties when her skin gets too cold.

The mother-of-two, who has suffered from the illness for ten years, needs to keep her home at 20c to prevent her from potentially going into anaphylactic shock.

But since the price of gas and electric prices rose by 54 per cent, Nyree has been forced to drop her heating to a “dangerous” level to stay on top of her bills.

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Nyree feels other sufferers may pay for the energy price hike with their lives if the government fails to step in and offer extra financial support.

She said: “For a lot of suffers, it’s going to become a life-or-death situation.

“Because we are working class, we fall through the gaps, and there is no support.

“We pay our national insurance and tax, but at the time when we need help, there is nothing for us.”

Nyree, an NHS worker from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, said that she first found out she had the chronic illness in 2012, after going for a dip in the sea.

She said: “I went in the sea, and when I came out, my legs were all hived up.

“It’s just got worse and worse over the years.”

Nyree said her current symptoms can cause her face and limbs to swell, leaving her in pain for hours at a time.

She said: “The way I would describe it is like I am on fire.”

“It’s extremely itchy and painful. It’s like nettle stings, and when cold wind enters my airways, it causes irritation inside me, and I can’t breath.”

“I also can’t take anything out of the fridge or freezer because of the cold, I have to get someone to do it for me.”

Nyree said her condition is now so severe that when she had a recent scan in hospital, a fan that was directed in her face caused her to have a severe allergic reaction.

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She said: “I had an MRI scan in hospital, and I went into anaphylactic shock.”

“They put a fan on me, and they hadn’t realised, and I ended up needing an EpiPen.”

Nyree said many similar sufferers who she has spoken to now fear for their lives after average household energy bills were set to rise by £693.

She said: “It’s scary, obviously. We are having to reduce the heating. It puts us in the danger zone as the house has to be kept at 20c.

“We have lowered it down, and it’s not fun. Yesterday, I was sat in a scarf and woolly hat as I have to keep at a certain temperature.

Nyree said she contacted her energy company about her condition but wasn't taken seriously.

She now wants the government and energy providers to come together to offer further support for people in her situation.