Left out in the cold...

In Kirklees and Calderdale, three people die every day in the coldest winter months as a result of fuel poverty. A further 24 people are admitted to hospital, 96 are treated as outpatients and there are 90 additional social service calls.

By The Newsroom

Published 18th Jan 2012, 14:00 BST

Temperatures lower than 16C can lower the body’s resistance to respiratory infections, while temperatures below 12C increase older people’s blood pressure, increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Between 2003 and August 2011, electricity bills rose 98 per cent and gas bills increased by 146 per cent.

One in three older people do not claim the pension credits they are entitled to.

Across Yorkshire and Humberside there are currently 595,000 households in fuel poverty, a rise of around 90 per cent since 2007.

Half of all people living in fuel poverty are aged 60 or over.

SOURCES: Age UK, National Energy Action, One Community.