Nearly 100 South Tyneside pensioners living alone have no central heating

According to the 2021 census, 11,001 people over the age of 65 lived alone in South Tyneside – 36.7% of the age group – with 91 of those not having central heating in their homes.

The Age UK charity says the figures are a “tremendous concern” and urged the Government to do more to keep old people warm.

Age UK diretor Caroline Abrahams, said: “These figures are of tremendous concern. Older people lacking central heating often find it very difficult to stay warm during the winter months with potentially serious consequences for their health and wellbeing.

“Living alone can make this situation worse as it means that one person’s income has to stretch further to cover the fixed costs of heating a home, and it can, in some cases, lead to social isolation, which can have additional negative consequences.”

She added: “Expanding central heating access and providing suitable alternatives to keep older people warm will be absolutely key.”

In England and Wales, about 3.1 million elderly people lived alone when the census took place in March 2021 – with 66,000 (2.1%) having no central heating.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate change secretary, his party would launch a national warm homes plan to upgrade homes that need.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We know this is a difficult time for families, including older people, which is why we’ve been covering around half of the typical household’s energy bill.”

They said improving the energy efficiency of homes is the best long-term method of tackling fuel poverty.

They added: “That’s why we’ve committed over £6.6bn in this parliament to improve energy efficiency and, in addition, last month we announced the new expanded Great British Insulation Scheme to deliver even more upgrades.”

*Age UK say anyone who is struggling, or their concerned families and friends, can contact its free Age UK advice line on 0800 169 65 65 which is open every day from 8am until 7pm.