Health forecasters say that cold weather has killed in excess of 2,500 people in England and Wales in the past week.
Research by the Faculty of Public Health and the Met Office shows they will have died from treatable ailments and researchers say these needless deaths put a strain on the NHS.
President of the Faculty, Professor Sian Griffiths, said the UK is "one of the worst countries in the world" at coping with unseasonal low temperatures and predicts as many as 50,000 people could die unnecessarily this winter.
But Health Minister Stephen Ladyman said Britain had a higher death rate from the cold because "winter always takes us by surprise".
How has the cold weather this winter affected you and your family? Are the government doing enough to help?
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:
This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.
Your comments:
I cannot believe that we are still hearing stories of elderly and vulnerable people dying due to the cold weather! My mother is 76 yrs of age and is on a scheme called (I think!) 'Stay warm'. She pays a set rate every month direct debit from her bank to the 'stay warm' company who supply her gas and electricity all year 'round for the same price regardless of how much she uses. Why is this scheme not communicated as a matter of course to the elderly who are ALL entitled to it?
Mrs. Val Bolam, Newcastle upon Tyne - U.K.
The obvious question is why these people did not pay their bill when they had money. But perhaps the clue lies in the fact that the money was cash: maybe the modern trend to financial rules and unhelpful call centres contributed to this tragedy. Did they try to pay, and have their payment refused as it was cash? Or did "computer error" or the inflexibility of the call centre's rules contribute to this tragedy?
Simon Richardson, London,UK
The stance taken by British Gas is quite pathetic. As a qualified nurse with a strict code of confidentiality to observe, I would nevertheless be free (and indeed obliged)to notify the proper authorities if I had concerns about a risk of this nature to one of my patients. It really is no good hiding behind the Data Protection Act. Surely the "Duty of Care" overrides this.
Mark Wallace, Gloucester, UK Utilities should not be in private hands. They will always put profit before people. In my view, they will cut corners, provide as shoddy a service as they can get away with.
Robbie, UK
Nothing changes. Ten years ago the local electricity company insisted on installing a pre-pay meter in the flat of my frail elderly neighbour because he'd got behind with his payments. They installed it at the top of the stairs seven feet off the floor. My neighbour who was not steady on his feet risked life & limb to climb on a chair to access the meter, and it frightened him so much he chose to not use electricity. After he'd collapsed in my arms through hypothermia I contacted the company to complain and got absolutely no help or sympathy. The only way they would help was if I paid off his bill and set up a direct debit from my own account to guarantee payment - without that they weren't prepared to do a thing. Fortunately I was in a position to be able to do this, but the company appeared quite unconcerned of his predicament. Of course now they wouldn't even be able to talk to me about it because of the Data Protection Act. Crazy.
DP, UK
It is not just the elderly who are suffering from this cold weather - but also the university students! I have so much student debts that I can not even afford to pay my gas and electricity bills anymore. Last night, for example, I didn't want to turn my heater on while I was shivering in the terrible cold - simply because of the worry of the mounting bills.
YS, London, Uk
Having lived in the UK and now Seattle USA, I cannot understand why heating bills are so expensive in the UK. Seattle has a very similar climate as London, but my bills were 3 or 4 times to what I pay here. Someone is making some money.
C Breedon, US ex UK
The government could help by placing a massive burden of proof on the private energy suppliers before they can cut off people's energy supplies. At the very least there should be a home visit and court hearing before power - essential for life - can be switched off. This has nothing to do with data protection and everything to do with corporate greed and social irresponsibility. Why should the government let them get away with it?
Ron F, London, UK
It's not just the elderly who are at risk. Many student properties suffer from lack of adequate heating/insulation/double glazing. This can be even more traumatic for foreign students from warmer climates. I've invited three of my friends to stay this Christmas fortnight (as they cannot afford to go home to the Sudan/Brazil/Morocco) because their flats are so poor and the bills so high. Landlords should be made to provide a better quality of flats for lower rents.
Phill C, Sheffield, UK
Stop putting the blame on government and take a look at ourselves. How many of us look after elderly relatives and that means finding the time to pop in or finding a friend to do the same? How many of us have our elderly parents in our homes (or sell both houses and amalgamate?) How many children take the time to fill the forms for their elderly parents to get the free insulation etc, or contact the gas and electricity boards if there appears to be a problem?
Anon, Scotland
 |  Moaning now about the temperature won't change a thing  |
Just think of how the �6bn that's been spent on wars could be helping our elderly. Moaning now about the temperature won't change a thing - but by voting our current government out, we may be able to so. We owe it to our elder generation.
Tony, UK Another organisation hiding behind the oft-quoted but much-misunderstood Data Protection Act. Another case of humanity and common sense overridden by fears of our claims culture. How do we break the vicious cycle?
Adam Goldman, London, UK
Great numbers of houses in the UK are old (and damp), not energy-efficient. Hence it is difficult and expensive to heat them and to retain the heat - and to solve this problem, a huge rebuilding effort would be needed. But there is also a "cultural" aspect - a lot of people ignore the cold weather and go out insufficiently dressed (only T-shirt, no socks, or only a jumper when it is freezing - even schoolchildren don't dress warm enough!) So it is also a problem of changing this careless mentality, and that is much harder.
Vittoria Lutje, Liverpool
Since moving to Canada I know what COLD really is and how important it is to have a properly insulated house. Wales is cold in the winter but not as bad as some locations here. It is money well spent to insulate your house properly, both for winter and summer conditions.
JF, Canada
You definitely need higher national housing standards. When I lived in Scotland I was shocked that double-glazing was considered a luxury. I disagree that UK weather can be predictable - dramatically different conditions each day for undeterminable periods of time. Good luck getting your government to cough up the necessary �. Here we'd just sue until industry pressured government for regulations!
Emily, NYC, USA
I think we should have cold cameras situated at every old person blackspot!
Bob, Brighton, UK
It is a disgrace that the old and vulnerable could be put at this kind of risk. For British Gas to blame the DPA is a joke. Our entire society is upside down. OAPs should not be paying for utilities never mind being cut off, it's barbaric.
Iain Hamilton, Wirral, UK Iain from the Wirral, BG probably didn't know they were pensioners. And I deal with data protection a lot, both as a solicitor and as a small business owner. I can tell you what's a disgrace - the heavy-handed and self-righteous attitude of the information commissioner. It doesn't remotely surprise me that most businesses are concerned about data protection laws.
Fran, Tunbridge Wells, UK
I see a lot of people suggesting that nobody should ever be cut off for non-payment and that pensioners shouldn't pay for anything. Do they really think that as well as voluntarily helping my own parents out I am now expected to also bail out the parents of those who simply can't be bothered to look after them?
Nige, England
I dread to think what would happen in this country if it got really cold. Because this temperature is nothing you should try -40. We need to prepare and educate people better.
Anon, London
I am very shocked by the fact that the old can't afford to keep themselves warm, or they are cut off by British Gas. The government should be doing more for the elderly. This country is still living in the middle ages.
Dawn Haynes, Peterborough, Cambs
Henry Easton, Bristol, UK I'm really angry that someone said that this is a 'fact of life'. It isn't a 'fact of life' that two vulnerable pensioners were allowed to freeze to death in their home for the sake of �140. It's all very well saying that old people have grants to help with heating, but have you seen the forms and all the details that sometimes confused elderly people have to fill out to receive them? It should be automatic thing that pensioners should have to opt out of, if they don't want help, rather than opt in.
David Morrison, Scotland
1. Gas suppliers are prohibited by law from disconnecting "vulnerable" people between 1 October and 31 March 2. The couple should have been offered a pre-payment meter as an alternative to disconnection. 3. There is an urgent need for investment in heating and insulation to bring UK housing up to tolerable standards.
Liz Futcher, Edinburgh
Some people don't seem to notice the cold...young people and the 'well insulated' go around throwing windows open even in severe weather...they make no allowance for the ill, the elderly and the chilly! To be cold is extremely debilitating and miserable and the elderly are especially vulnerable!
Len Williams, Brighton
Before you all start blaming everyone in authority for the deaths of pensioners in the winter, ask yourselves where the families of the elderly are? It seems to me that elderly people are abandoned by their selfish children who leave everything to the carers and social services. Lack of family values is the real killer here and its about time people looked after their parents!
Mark H, UK
Britain is a reasonably rich country on - a world wide scale and why we can't look after the poorest and more venerable in our society is beyond me. Pensioners in particular have given this country much much more than we can ever repay them for. Keeping them safe and warm during winter is a small thing to ask.
Paul, Glasgow, Scotland
Yet another example of business putting money, in this case just �140, before people.
Miles Smith, High Wycombe, England
| We are not doing enough to safe guard these people |
Due to being on a low wage and having an aging economy 7 system I cannot afford to have my heating on except for the weekends, I have chronic asthma and I've been in hospital twice in this last four years and had to stay over night on a nebulizer. I'm only 28 though and I fear for my future and think it is appalling that the government can allow these figures to keep on appearing every year without giving the elderly some assistance to cope with the bad weather there also should be some kind of nationwide support centre for those who have little or no family. We are not doing enough to safe guard these people.
Mr Roberts, Bradford Pensioners should not have to pay for their fuel, full stop. I am willing to pay this tax for them. Gordon B. please stop killing our beloved pensioners who have already being suffered enough.
Phong Huynh, Reading
I write as someone who managed to become hypothermic indoors! Despite my 'devil may care' attitude to heating, despite the thermostat being at 30C, the heating coming on morning and evening was not enough to keep me warm while I lay injured and unmoving for a week. Elderly people and the disabled, or those with long term illnesses, generally seem to live more sedentary lifestyles. Perhaps they should be encouraged to move around a little, if only to give their bodies a chance to register the ambient temperature.
Perhaps there is a 'cultural' problem amongst the elderly? Many will have grown up without central heating being the 'norm', so huddling in front of a fire seems 'normal' to them. Let's not just throw money at it, let's try education and a raising of awareness.
Sue, Aberdeen, Scotland
My grandparents always have the heating on full blast - to the point where it's unbearable for everyone else, yet the windows are open. Lets have some more education about gentle exercise and being energy wise as Sue in Scotland said.
Hannah, UK
To help older people, the government provides �200 towards heating annually, plus a free insulation and heating package, including cavity and loft insulation and a new boiler. The real area of neglect in this country is that older people are abandoned by their selfish children, who are too busy or uncaring to check they are ok. Don't blame the state for all society's ills.
Paul, Norfolk, England
Now here in Finland is about -13 degrees. Yesterday there was heavy snowstorm. there is such good infrastructure that nobody will die if it is snowing. Cold is something that we expect. Roads are clear and Father Christmas is in our mind. Happy Christmas to everyone.
Kalle Paakkonen, Helsinki, Finland
I am 63 and my husband is 70. London Electricity insulated our loft to a very high standard free of charge, and my local council have done a survey on our home and suggested ways in which we can make it more "heat efficient" and explained all the grants we could apply for if needed. All this was offered to us without our having to ask for it. I am sure we cannot be the only elderly couple to be offered this unasked for help.
We are now paying a monthly charge throughout the year to cover both gas and electricity costs. This makes it much easier for us to budget on a fixed income, but the charges we pay can be checked to see if there is a company offering a cheaper pricing structure for us. We are lucky in having open fields nearby where we can always go for a walk to keep the circulation flowing.
Mrs J Kay, Hertfordshire, UK
George Bates, 89, and his 86-year old wife Gertrude lived through wars but not the English winter. British Gas cannot hide behind data protection - they must ask themselves whether it is ethical to cut off this elderly couples supply in the middle of a cold snap.
Ben Cave, Perth, Australia
| Every other country seems to manage |
It's really bad that England can not cope with sudden temperature change; every other country seems to manage. It's the government greed that makes us the laughing stock of Europe! We should also be doing a lot more for the elderly and poor; like recruiting a team to make sure their heating is on and they are comfortable.
Marie, Romford, Essex This is the real security issue in the UK - whether its citizens die or not. Housing and heating, pensions, fire services and a health service should be first, spending billions of taxpayers money smashing up Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq does not have any benefit here in the UK, it just makes security worse in terms of over-taxation, money starvation and threat of retaliation.
Graham, UK
Living in the Midwestern states my whole life, I have heard many stories cold weather related fatalities amongst the elderly. The problem has been minimized due to the number of lawsuits protecting the less fortunate and forcing landlords to be responsible for their dwellings. I hope and pray for the sake of all in GB that the numbers recently sited in the article are exaggerated. The heat wave that crippled France last summer can hopefully motivate public servants to prepare for inclement weather conditions.
Ron, Chicago, USA
I was a forces child and lived in Germany where they have annual heavy snowfall for 12 years. On my return to England when I was 18, I could not believe how this country grinds to a halt at the fall of the first (and often only) flake of snow. How can this happen year after year when we have sophisticated weather forecasting services and have close neighbouring countries that we can learn lessons off? I think it is indicative of the failing, overstretched and ageing infrastructure of our country that a bit of cold weather (and lets face it, it only lasted for two days) produces such chaos and overreaction.
S Wall, Northampton, UK
Another problem is old people who can afford to but don't turn on the heating. I could guarantee that each time I would visit my Gran she would have the heating off and huddled in a blanket. When asked why, she would just say she was not cold and was saving her money to give to her children after her death. Her priorities were totally misplaced.
John, Stafford
I cannot believe in this day and age we have deaths caused by bad weather. Surely this sort of story is only written about the poorer countries of the world where other weather conditions such as drought and monsoon cause death? Maybe the government would be better increasing the amount of help the elderly get - they still don't get enough - instead of choosing designs for (unattractive) Christmas cards. They should imagine their parents in cold, damp conditions struggling to keep warm and hang their heads in shame.
Lisa, Cardiff, South Wales
I agree with Lisa from Cardiff. It's very easy for people to say that the elderly should protect themselves by doing this or that. What we often forget is that many elderly people are alone in their homes, and may well be suffering from illness or loss of memory. We have lost the old community spirit, where neighbours would automatically check on the elderly living near to them, and it is only Church members now who receive this kind of concern from others in the parish. Old people get stubborn, forgetful, awkward, and are at risk. But unless they have a family to hand, nobody seems to care.
Kathy, Wales
NO ONE should be suffering in this day and age from a lack of fuel or energy supplied to their house, especially the elderly, we mustn't forget they were once fighting our wars, running our economy, bringing US up. I would be more than happy to make �1-2 monthly donation to ensure these people don't have to worry about paying these bills. I'm sure the gas/electricity boards are aware of some elderly people struggling to pay these bills, lack of heating to these people in the winter causes illness or death, with that in mind what are these companies thinking when they turn off their supplies?
Alan Fraser, Ickenham
We should do more to help the root causes of so many deaths among our most vulnerable. For example, subsidising the heating bills of the elderly in the winter months would produce a net saving for the NHS and save lives!
Andrew B, Beverley, UK
| The UK's inability to cope with a bit of cool weather just seems pathetic |
As an English ex-pat living in Moscow all I can say is that the UK's inability to cope with a bit of cool weather just seems pathetic. With problems on roads and rails in both summer and winter you would be forgiven for thinking the UK had an extreme climate. It doesn't, but people and the government are simply unprepared.
Nick, Moscow, Russia There are grants available to help older people insulate their homes and to get small scale repairs done. the problem is that many older people either don't know about them or are too proud to claim them. Millions of benefit goes unclaimed by older people in the UK each year. Older people should be offered a once a year "lifestyle" check similar the old 75 plus health check which would cover finance as well as health and housing problems.
Kirsty
It is not the cold weather that is killing the elderly this and every winter. It is the sad neglect and complete disregard shown to these unfortunate people. Money is clearly more important to the government than the health of its populations most vulnerable group.
L Ireland, Hull
How about making it illegal for landlords to rent out their old, damp, too costly to heat, properties? Not even is it too expensive to heat those properties, you can also never really get rid of the cold damp. And it is the poor and elderly who live in such conditions, as they cannot afford a better home.
JM, London, UK
Is it too unreasonable to suggest that OAPs should NOT have to pay for gas, water or electricity? What do we do for anyone in this country who has paid their taxes having worked to put food on the table for most of their adult life? Not much and it's time we did more.
Jeff, UK
The health sector needs to recognise the importance of central heating and improved energy efficiency in combating winter deaths. Many of the elderly that die every year are in Fuel Poverty and as such can't afford to heat there homes. If we work to make these homes thermally efficient, then their occupants will be able to afford to heat them and in turn we will save their lives.
Ian Preston, Bristol, UK
How on Earth a government minister can have the gall to say that winter always takes them by surprise is beyond me. It comes after Autumn and before Spring. Every year, without fail. We have a population that is ageing, a society that focuses on youth and a government that doesn't give a damn about the aged. They'll be turning around and saying that getting old took them by surprise as well. It makes my blood boil. One day, we will all be old and the future is bleak.
Mark Pope, Swindon, Wilts
It would be good for the government to have a subsidised drive to insulate older houses, if there is any way of doing that, even giving loans based on recuperating the value at a much later date. Good insulation slashes heating costs and brings older stoneage dumps up to an acceptable level nearer modern standards.
Lance, Pulborough, Sussex, England
| It's a source of shame to the country that this should happen on such a large scale |
It's a source of shame to the country that this should happen on such a large scale. However, most utility companies have a register for vulnerable people -- a free facility that allows them to nominate a person to be contacted before disconnection is considered. A quick call to the relevant energy or phone company should be enough to get registered.
Mike Griffin, London, UK Recently, I can see most of the people are affected by flue and each one has different symptoms especially, children. I think, NHS has to take this death data more seriously, and has to conduct more survey and research towards the actual cause of these deaths. It could be some other illness rather than cold causing these deaths, reason to believe that the volume of people affecting by these kind of flue increasing each year.
Dr. Suresh, Croydon, United Kingdom
Warm weather in December is unseasonal and therefore unexpected. Cold weather during winter is seasonal and should be expected. Yours sincerely, confused of Birmgnham.
C.M.Sheard, Birmingham UK
Prof Griffiths says "The UK remains one of the worst countries in the world at coping with unseasonal low temperatures" whilst Mr Ladyman remarks that "winter always takes us by surprise". Why? There haven't been unseasonal low temperatures, it is supposed to be cold in December, whilst winter is forecast to follow autumn and come before spring every year so it should hardly be a surprise that it's here now. More meaningless excuses and words to disguise a lack of action by people in authority.
Wayne Boyle, Manchester
Your main problem in GB is bad housing and inability to cope with freezing temp and snow. This morning it was -19 C here in Karlstad, Sweden, and lots of snow too, but my house was warm, all roads were cleared, and i took my bicycle to work (7 km) just as usual!
Georg Larsson, Karlstad Sweden
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