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Excess deaths could rise as vulnerable skimp on heating, UK charities warn

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Excess deaths could rise as vulnerable skimp on heating, UK charities warn

The current prolonged cold snap could prompt a sharp increase in excess death this winter as financial worries force vulnerable households to skimp on heating, charities have warned.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition fears there will be fatal consequences from the scale of those economising on heating, as forecasters predict the UK will be hit by sub-zero temperatures for the rest of the week.

Simon Francis, the group’s coordinator said: “People are now literally choosing between heating and dying. We obviously understand the financial pain that everyone is going through, but you can recover from debt, you can’t recover from dying. If people don’t have their heating on, they will end up at the doors of the NHS or even worse.”

Each year there are on average about 10,000 excess deaths caused by cold and damp homes. Francis fears there will be a record increase in such deaths this year because so many are struggling to pay bills.

He said: “We are concerned that as temperatures plummet, people cannot stay warm and the worst impacts of living in fuel poverty will be realised. That average excess deaths are based on years when energy bills were half what they are now.”

“We know that levels of fuel poverty are way ahead of where they were in previous years. The stories that we’re hearing from people are really heartbreaking.”

 

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