Charities said the price increase would be a painful blow for billpayers.

Citizens Advice said its research suggested 6.7 million people in England, Wales and Scotland were in debt to their energy supplier. Official figures show nearly £4bn is owed.

“We’re helping people every day who simply can’t afford this latest price hike,” said its chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty.

The government has announced it is planning to extend the number of people who qualify for the Warm Home Discount scheme next winter – which gives some people on benefits a reduction of £150 from their annual energy bill.

Energy bills are about 50% higher than pre-Covid levels, but remain below the peak reached in 2022 when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused prices to spike.

Ofgem director general of markets, Tim Jarvis, said the latest price rises were driven by international gas prices, which have gone up “significantly” recently.

However, analysts at Cornwall Insight said energy prices have dipped in the past couple of weeks following US-Russia talks on a potential end to the Ukraine war.

As a result, the consultancy has forecast the price cap in July will fall to £1,756 a year for a typical consumer, although it noted this would still be hundreds of pounds above the pre-conflict level.

It also said volatility in the energy market means it is likely the price cap predictions “will change multiple times” before July.