Dark choice for off-grid families: pay ?60,000 or use a torch

For Britain's 2,000 homes without mains electricity, daily life is difficult but the cost of getting a connection is prohibitiveWhen Annette Walton wants to do some cooking on a winter evening, she straps on a head torch to guide herself around. In a home that does not have constant electric lighting, even simple chores are impossible without it.Walton, 53, has lived in her home in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, since she was nine. It's one of about 2,000 around the country that have never been connected to the electricity grid. Continue reading...