FORGIVE me for being sceptical but I have a frosty response to the television and radio adverts for the giant energy firms you may have heard recently.

A friendly voice will tell you that they recognise these are hard times for all of us and that a nice cosy conversation with the suppliers will ease the stress so many are facing as bills escalate.

There are options available, we have all been told. None of these options, however, will successfully wish away the punishing debts that people are racking up through no real fault of their own.

While the voices in the adverts may sound reassuring, this week we learned energy firms are being much firmer when chasing unpaid bills. Some are securing court warrants to ensure access when insisting that a pre-pay meter is installed.

In another case, outlined by the i newspaper, investigators began asking a woman’s neighbours how often she turned the lights on.

Desperate to cut her bills, the woman was not tampering with her meter but living in the dark and worried to put her TV on.

Perhaps the options would be more helpful if the companies agreed to redistribute their vast profits or the fantasy salaries of executive staff.

Just a thought.