Warning over threat posed to health by poorly heated homes in Shropshire

The stark figures were raised during a Coping with the Cold event at Ludlow Mascall Centre, held to investigate ways to end fuel poverty in the county.

A panel of experts and speakers discussed issues affecting the elderly and people living in remote areas. They included Brighid Carey, from Shropshire Council, Tim Baldwin, from Marches Energy Agency, Jon Cooke from the Affordable Warmth Forum, Dave Thomlinson from Lightfoot Enterprises, and private landlord Alison Cundall.

Advice was also on offer from the National Landlords' Association, Just Credit Union, the Linus Project, Homestart and South Shropshire Furniture Scheme.

Visitors were told an estimated 300 people in Shropshire are expected to die this winter due to cold weather and about 23 per cent of people who rent privately live in fuel poverty. In the UK as a whole there were 28,500 avoidable winter deaths last year.

Hilary Wendt, a member of South Shropshire Green Party member which organised the event on Saturday, said: "Colder winters happen in Scandinavia and that doesn't happen because people's houses are not leaking energy."

She said because much of Shropshire is rural there are a high number of old, difficult-to-heat houses and about 37 percent of households were off the gas grid.

"A lot of issues were identified during the afternoon and we'd like to get them further up the political agenda," she said.

"It's obviously an important issue as people are dying if it's not addressed. We were very pleased with turnout, we hadn't done anything like this before and we put together a really strong panel of speakers."

Recommendations and comments from the panel discussion will now be passed on to elected officials and policy makers, she said.

Councillor Graeme Perks, of Ludlow Town Council, who attended alongside town mayor Jim Smithers, said: "This was a very positive and useful meeting and I have suggested that the town council address the issues raised here."