Frozen to death as fuel bills soar: Hypothermia cases among the elderly double in five years

The number of pensioners dying from hypothermia has nearly doubled in five years, a period when a succession of cold winters has been coupled with drastic rises in energy bills.

The official figures emerged after several days of Arctic conditions which drove temperatures across the whole country as low as minus 10C (14F).

They showed that 1,876 patients were treated in hospital for hypothermia in 2010/11, up from 950 in 2006/07.     Read More