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

Simon Francis of End Fuel Poverty Coalition said: ‘People are now literally choosing between heating and dying.’ Photograph: coldsnowstorm/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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.