Navan families 'struggle with huge gas bills", says local cllr

Many Navan families are struggling to pay the huge increases in their gas bills, according to Cllr Peadar Tóibín, who has called on Bord Gáis to cut gas prices immediately. He said a large number of Navan residents had contacted him in recent weeks complaining of extremely large bills. 'A number of factors have come together to inflate the most recent bills. Several months of below average temperatures, a massive hike in Bord Gáis prices and longer than normal bill period has meant that some gas users have seen their bills increase from €100 per bill to €500 per bill,' he said. 'Young families throughout Navan who are already finding it difficult to make ends meet due to the recession are being hit with inordinately high gas bills.' Cllr Tóibín said he had contacted a number of representatives of Bord Gáis detailing these issues and demanded that they do all within their power to reduce prices. 'I would also encouraged gas users to check their bills and also to ensure that their gas meter is working properly. This can be done by turning off all gas appliances for a set period and checking that the meter has not clocked up any units. 'Also, I would encourage users to contact Sustainable Energy Ireland to ascertain what can be done to reduce the loss of heat from their houses. 'There are also grants available through SEI to help householders reduce bills. Finally, if gas users are having difficulties paying these bills, I would also ask them to contact Bord Gáis in order to create a weekly payment scheme to help bring down the size of these bills.' Cllr Tóibín said the fall in global fuel prices had not been passed on to end users and was not being reflected in the charges being imposed on customers. 'It is imperative that that is now done immediately,' he said.