Guisborough baker uses excess heat from ovens to set up warm hub above Brickyard Bakery

• Video report by Tom Barton

A baker in Guisborough has opened a warm room above his bakery for anyone struggling to keep warm.

Ed Hamilton-Trewhitt from the Brickyard Bakery uses the excess warmth from his ovens to heat the community lounge.

Mr Hamilton-Trewhitt said: "You just come in, make yourself comfortable, make yourself a brew and sit and keep warm. 

“If I am paying that amount for electricity, then nothing makes me happier than me being able to use it.

“At least it makes me feel happier about my electricity bills doubling, virtually overnight."

It comes as warm hubs across the region are bracing themselves for a busy winter due to the cost of living.

The energy crisis means some community centres may struggle to stay open this winter as well as staying warm enough to act as a warm hub. 

At hubs across Northumberland, they have tried to future-proof the buildings, installing things like insulation and solar panels to make sure they can afford to keep their doors open and their rooms heated.

Christine Nicholls, from the community centre in Seahouses, said people should be in a room that is between 18 and 21 degrees.

She added that if people are living in a room that is below, it could have a serious impact on their health.

Ms Nicholls said: "If somebody needs to go to a building to stay warm, then obviously there's something wrong with the system. People need to keep  themselves warm. 

“When you get older, certainly our more senior residents, it's going to have more of an impact.

"I think there's going to be an awful lot of working households that are going to be hit this time around by fuel poverty. So I think it's going to hit a lot more people."

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