Winter fuel deaths are 'national shame'

Public health experts have said the system for calculating domestic fuel bills in the UK is contributing to thousands of deaths each winter.

The UK Public Health Association said the two-tier tariff, where the first units used cost more, penalises people on low incomes who struggle to heat their homes - a claim rejected by energy companies.

Professor John Ashton, chairman of the association, said the pricing structure for energy companies did not make sense.