British household energy bills are set to climb in April after regulator Ofgem said it would lift the price cap by 6.4 per cent following an increase in wholesale costs. The regulator on Tuesday set the price cap at a level for the period between April and June that would see a typical household pay £1,849 a year, up from £1,738 now.

Annual bills will now be nearly £160 more expensive than a year ago but an extra four million people have signed up for a fixed tariff since November and are unaffected.

Millions of Britons will pay higher energy costs from April after regulator Ofgem said its domestic price cap would rise 6.4% due to soaring wholesale energy prices. The rise is the third consecutive quarterly increase and a blow for the government,

Energy prices will rise by 6.4% in April under regulator Ofgem's new cap - a higher than expected increase adding pressure on people's finances. It means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will see their annual bill rise by £111 a year,

The increase means that a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales will now pay £1,849 on average for energy