UK: Fuel poverty to cost lives this winter

Tens of thousands of pensioners could die over the coming months because they cannot afford to heat their homes

Tens of thousands of pensioners could die this winter because they cannot afford to heat their home, charities for the elderly said today.

The warning came as official figures show that the number of “excess winter deaths” in England and Wales increased by 7 per cent between December 2007 and March 2008, compared with the same period the year before.


Excess winter deaths record how many more deaths there are during winter compared to the other months of the year. The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 25,300 more people died last winter, up from 23,740 the year before. The vast majority of these, 23,200, were aged over 65.

With this coming winter predicted to be one of the coldest in years, and energy bills at record highs, campaigners say the number of elderly people dying from cold and cold-related illnesses is likely to soar.

Times of London