3.5 million elderly people 'at risk from winter cold'

A pensioner said he worries about the cost of heating his home because he "never knows which tariff" he will be on, Good Morning Britain has heard.

Owen Ellis, who lives in East London and suffers from respiratory problems, can only afford to heat his home for an hour every day and said his bills were "going up all the time".

The government has made "a very clear commitment" to keep over-65s warm every winter and 12.5 million would be eligible for between £100-£300 to help pay their fuel bills if there born before July 5 1952.

A Government spokesman said:

Almost three-quarters of over-65s living in the UK are worried about the rising cost of energy, according to an age concern charity.

Research from Age UK showed:

• One third of over-65s are worried about how they will heat their home in the first place.
• Some 41% of older people believe the government should do more to ensure UK homes are made more energy efficient.
• Another 36% want energy companies to intervene and insulate old homes.

Around 3.5 million elderly people are worried they will not be able to keep warm this winter, a charity has warned.

Age UK pointed to the 25,000 elderly people who die every year from the cold, which they amounts to 206 deaths a day or one death every seven minutes.

Known as "excess winter deaths" many of these could have been prevented if pensioners were in more modern homes, the charity said.

Countries which regularly experienced harsher winters, like Finland, Germany and France had far fewer excess deaths because they have newer houses. The UK has some of the oldest buildings in the EU, Age UK said.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: "Fuel poverty is a national scandal which has claimed the lives of too many people - both old and young - for far too long and left many more suffering from preventable illness."

Read: Spare a thought for the elderly at risk in cold weather