10 November 2008
The soaring cost of gas and electricity is forcing many pensioners to live in one room to save money on their energy bills.
According to a survey by the British Gas Help the Aged Partnership, 4.5 million elderly people intend to heat just one room in their home this winter.
This is an increase of two million on last year and coincides with large increases in the cost of gas and electricity and two price rises by the UK's major energy suppliers in the last 12 months alone.
The survey also shows that one in four pensioners will stay in bed to keep warm during the colder months and one in seven will use their savings to pay their energy bills.
Mervyn Kohler, a spokesman for the British Gas Help the Aged Partnership, told the Press Association: "One in four older people are now estimated to be living in fuel poverty. For more vulnerable older people, this is an unacceptable situation."