BBC Breakfast presenters Sally Nugent and Roger Johnson were back on our screens on Wednesday morning

BBC Breakfast hosts announced sad news on Wednesday (October 15) after a “difficult situation”.

During today’s broadcast of the popular BBC show, Sally Nugent and Roger Johnson brought viewers up to speed with the latest developments from Britain and beyond.

They were accompanied in the studio by John Watson, who handled the sports round-up, whilst Carol Kirkwood and Emma Vardy provided regular weather forecasts and business bulletins, respectively.

Early in the programme, Sally revealed that the sum owed by customers to energy firms had reached an eight-year high.

Households are entering winter owing £780 million to their energy providers, marking the steepest debt levels in eight years, according to research by Uswitch, reports the Express.

Roger Johnson and Sally Nugent shared difficult news on Wednesday(BBC)

“It brings the total energy debt to more than £4 billion,” Roger added, before handing over to BBC correspondent Aruna Iyengar.

In her report, Aruna warned: “Customers are being warned to get ready for higher bills this winter. Many of us pay a fixed amount each month, which is higher than our actual usage in the summer to build up credit to cover higher energy bills in the winter.

“But Uswitch says because of the high energy prices, many households are already in debt before the winter’s even started.”

Richard Neudegg, Director of Regulation at Uswitch, explained: “There have been a number of support schemes that have been in place for consumers, some of those have come to an end.

“But also, we’re compounding year on year on a difficult situation when it comes to the cost of bills. So, again, we’re in a slightly more difficult situation than we have been previously as those customers in debt are rising and the level of debt is also increasing as well.”

Energy prices have continued to rise in recent years(BBC)

Aruna proceeded to disclose that approximately 3.5 million households are indebted to their supplier, marking a 46% surge from 2.4 million the previous year. More than one in ten of those owing money to their energy supplier admit they cannot afford to clear their debt.

The typical household debt amount of £223 represents a 29% jump from last year’s figure of £173.

The correspondent continued: “Energy prices are at historically high levels, and they’re still going higher. It’s due to global gas price spikes and the UK’s ban on Russian energy amid the conflict in Ukraine.”Households facing problems with their energy bills are urged to contact their energy providers. They can provide tailored repayment plans, stopping customers from falling further behind.”