Daily Mail - 07.08.2019

Page 21

‘What was in that omelette?

I’m starting to hallucinate!’

Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 7, 2019

WATCHDOGS will cut the energy price

cap today, reducing typical annual gas

and electricity bills by up to £80 a year.

However, experts warn that the new

tariff, which could fall to £1,174 a year for

the average user, will still leave millions

paying much more than they need to.

The cap was introduced in January to

protect customers struggling on a rip-

off standard variable tariff (SVT).

The measure forced the Big Six – British

Gas, SSE, EDF, Eon, Npower and Scottish

Power – to cut the cost of energy for the

15 million households on an SVT.

But they could have saved more by

moving to a fixed rate deal. The cheap-

est such dual fuel tariff costs around

£951, a saving of more than £200 on the

lower cap to be set this morning.

The regulator Ofgem decides the maxi-

mum price per unit based on changes in

the wholesale cost. The lower figure will

come in on October 1 and last all winter.

Energy industry watchers say falls in

wholesale prices in recent months

should – in theory – lead to a fall in the

Ofgem cap of £60-£80.

A gas glut has seen British and Dutch

gas prices halve since September, after

a liquefied natural gas influx shipped by

tanker, and gas from Russia and the US.

Lily Green from price comparison site

Look After My Bills says that 11 energy

suppliers will have to cut tariffs and that

customers have been paying a loyalty

penalty of hundreds of pounds a year.

‘The price drop should have come a lot

sooner... You can’t trust suppliers to

lower your energy bill,’ she said.

By Sean Poulter

Consumer Affairs Editor

with new shoes.’

Now Miss Downey, from Bill-

ingshurst, West Sussex, is shar-

ing her story to warn other

women about the risks of even

the slightest skin damage.

‘I want them to know if they

do get a blister and feel bad, to

trust their instincts and get it

checked out,’ she said.

Miss Downey bought the

shoes – a pair of espadrille

wedge platforms – second hand

two years ago, but wore them

for the first time last week.

When she noticed the straps

rubbing the back of her heel,

she changed her shoes for a

more comfortable pair and put

a plaster on the small blister.

‘I started noticing I couldn’t

walk properly and was limping

and was in pain a lot more than

normal,’ she said.

‘My foot had swollen right up

and the pain was absolutely

awful. I just dropped to the

floor in agony.’

She visited a doctor and was

prescribed antibiotics, but her

symptoms worsened. Eventu-

ally she was told to go to hospi-

tal, as she was showing early

signs of sepsis.

She was treated for sepsis and

cellulitis – a bacterial skin infec-

tion – at Worthing Hospital,

where she stayed two days.

‘I had pains all over my body

and trouble breathing,’ she

said. ‘I knew something was

seriously wrong.’ At her doc-

to allow the wound to heal – but

she says it has not put her off

wearing heels in the future.

Sepsis occurs when the body

reacts to an infection by attack-

ing its own organs and tissues.

In rare cases, it can be caused

when bacteria enters a small

cut or blister. If untreated, the

infection can spread to other

parts of the body and be fatal.

The Mail has led the cam-

paign to improve sepsis care

since 2016 following the tragic

case of one-year-old William

Mead, who died after GPs and

medical staff missed the warn-

ing signs of the condition.

Dr Ron Daniels, chief execu-

tive of the UK Sepsis Trust,

said: ‘This startling case dem-

onstrates that sepsis can strike

at any time, affecting the previ-

ously fit and healthy.

‘Although infections arising

from damage to the skin and

soft tissues, such as abrasions,

only account for about 10 per

cent of sepsis cases, the “killer

condition” can arise as a result

of any infection.’

A MODEL nearly lost her leg after

contracting sepsis from a blister

caused by a new pair of shoes.

Gemma Downey, 23, says she is ‘lucky

to be alive’ after noticing her platforms

were rubbing as she made her way to

an appointment last week.

Within a day, the model was being

treated in hospital for early onset sepsis –

and was warned she could have lost her

leg had the infection taken hold.

‘I couldn’t believe that something so

insignificant could cause so much dam-

age. I am very lucky that my condition

was spotted early,’ Miss Downey said.

‘I’ve had [blisters] so many times, I just

didn’t think anything of it – especially Rubbing: The wedge heels caused a small blister

By Xantha Leatham

Agony: Gemma Downey

END THE SEPSIS

SCANDAL

tor’s appointment, Miss

Downey was told her heart rate

and temperature were ‘sky

high’ and her blood pressure

‘really, really low’.

‘I know it can be fatal. The

doctors told me I was lucky I

had acted on it and went to

check it out because it could

have been more serious.’

The model can only wear flip-

flops for the next few months

Lucky to be alive,

model whose

new shoes lef t

her with sepsis Lower energy

cap to cut £80

off average bill

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