He died just over two weeks later. He was 67.

Asked whether standing charges should be scrapped altogether, Tim Jarvis, director general of markets at Ofgem, told the BBC the option had been looked at, but added the costs "need to appear in bills somewhere".He said moving costs into unit rates could have "some quite bad effects on people in some of the most vulnerable situations".

The regulator's proposals do not deal with the variation of standing charges in different parts of the UK, with billpayers in some areas paying considerably more. Ofgem intends to make that part of a wider, separate inquiry.The amount of money owed to suppliers by customers has nearly doubled in two years, now totalling about £3.8bn.The regulator is also setting out a plan for next winter that would deal with some of this debt, built up during a period of high prices, that has little chance of being repaid.

It is planning a "debt guarantee" to improve the standard of service offered by suppliers supporting customers in debt, which it said would give households "consistent, compassionate and tailored support".Suppliers could also be required to accept debt repayment offers from reputable third parties such as debt advice agencies or consumer organisations.

Taking a bone-chilling dip in the sea on Christmas Day or Boxing Day is a festive tradition like no other – one that hardy swimmers across the region don't shy away from celebrating.

And this year is no different, with thousands of people across a variety of events expected to the brave the potentially chilly winds and dive headfirst into the North Sea."There's a massive stigma around ketamine. It isn't spoken about enough."

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Five hospices caring for terminally ill people have planned job cuts in the past two months due to financial pressures, BBC News has learned.St Giles Hospice, which runs community services and in-patient sites in the West Midlands, has started consulting staff this week on a reduction of 40 posts, including clinical roles, which could involve redundancies.