Public health chiefs today urged people to prioritise heating their living rooms during the day to survive the cold – as middle class Brits revealed they had begun heating their food on wood burners in a bid to save on energy bills.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said main rooms should be kept to at least 18C to avoid dangerous conditions amid fears cost of living pressures will stop households from turning on the central heating even with a -9C cold snap forecast.
Many have already been resorting to desperate measures to stay warm, including spending the day in only one room, only turning on the heating once a week, and covering walls with cardboard to serve as temporary insulation.
One family living in rural Oxfordshire sent MailOnline a photo of their living room which shows a pot of pasta warming up on a wood burner, which is also surrounded by drying clothes.
HOW DO YOU PLAN ON KEEPING WARM THIS WINTER? Email: Jacob.Thorburn@mailonline.co.uk
One family living in rural Oxfordshire sent MailOnline a photo of their living room which shows a pot of pasta warming up on a wood burner, which is also surrounded by drying clothes
They are maximising the heat coming from the burner to help save money on energy bills, the family said.
Others reported taking similar approaches, with Twitter user Graham Webber saying: ‘We use the top of our wood burner to cook all kinds of things, baked potato, casseroles toast to name but a few.’
Another, who gave the name Gerald Last, said he fed his log burner with ‘free wood’ and used it to cook on as well as heat the home.
Nigel Cleall, a 51-year-old from Martley in Worcestershire, decided to insulate his home with 330ft of cardboard he bought for £1 on eBay after his energy bill spiralled to more than £1,000 a month.
Meanwhile, father of two Chavdar Todorov, from Barnet in north London, revealed he was only turning on the central heating once a week and had given his family £8.48 head torches as part of a ‘no electricity at home policy’.
The 53-year-old described his current set up as ‘like being back in the 18th century’.
Nigel Cleall, a 51-year-old from Martley in Worcestershire, decided to insulate his home with 330ft of cardboard he bought for £1 on eBay after his energy bill spiralled to more than £1,000 a month
Chavdar Todorov, from Barnet in north London, revealed he was only turning on the central heating once a week and had given his wife Moda and two children £8.48 head torches as part of a ‘no electricity at home policy’
Under the current energy price guarantee, a household using a standard amount of gas and electricity can expect to pay £2,500 a year, but this will rise by £500 to £3,000 a year from April onwards.
Today, the UKHSA issued new advice on coping with the cold weather amid fears a freezing weather system dubbed the ‘Troll of Trondheim’ could have serious consequences for vulnerable people struggling to keep warm.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, the agency’s consultant in public health medicine, said: ‘Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk.
‘If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you. Try to heat the rooms you use most, such as the living and bedroom, to at least 18C if you can and keep your bedroom windows closed at night.’
Chris Hardy, from the S6 Food Bank in Sheffield, told the Sheffield Star he had seen an increase in the amount of people living in just one room to save on energy bills.
Today a major incident was declared in the city after around 2,000 homes were left without gas after a burst water main damaged part of the pipe network.
More than 100 engineers from gas firm Cadent have been working in Stannington and neighbouring Hillsborough since the weekend, going house to house to flush water out of the system and check homes, some of which saw liquid pouring from their gas meters and appliances.
As temperatures dropped below freezing last night, Sheffield City Council said it declared a major incident so services can be concentrated on the area.
Council leader Terry Fox said: ‘Over the weekend we were alerted to a contained situation and have been assisting Cadent as best we can.
‘Since then, the incident has progressed and spread further across the city.
‘With a colder spell due in the coming days it is important we and other organisations across the city collaborate to ensure all the residents affected are provided with the support they require, especially the most vulnerable.
‘By declaring a major incident, we will be better able to co-ordinate the overall response to the issues and call on additional support if needed.’
Mr Fox visited Stannington on Tuesday along with council chief executive Kate Josephs.
Ms Josephs said community buildings, including a pub, were available for those struggling to keep warm.
She told BBC Radio Sheffield: ‘We’d really encourage anyone who is concerned to call Cadent.
‘Nobody should be sitting at home worrying about putting their heaters on.’
She added: ‘It is getting chilly. We’re doing everything we can and Cadent are working tirelessly through day and night to get the water out of the pipes and get the heating back on.’
Olivia Blake, Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, said she has asked Chancellor Jeremy Hunt for emergency funding for the council.
She said: ‘I have further meetings planned with Yorkshire Water and I am in ongoing talks with the leadership of the council on getting support to residents.
‘I have also spoken directly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging him to provide emergency funding to the council and have written to him formally, alongside the secretaries of state for Business, for the Environment, and for Levelling-up, to request urgent assistance.
‘My heart goes out to all those affected – this is a terrible thing to happen at any time, let alone weeks before the holiday season.’
Cadent said it has already pumped more than 600,000 litres of water from its system.
Around 2,000 homes in the Stannington area of Sheffield have been left without heating or cooking facilities since Friday after a burst water main damaged a gas pipe, sending hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the gas network
Stannington resident Christine Vickers said the elderly people she looks after in a sheltered housing block are worried about their electricity bills as they are using heaters to keep warm.
She said she had been into Lomas Hall, where Cadent and other agencies have set up a help centre, to ask about how the residents will get compensation for their electricity use.
Ms Vickers said: ‘I’ve been saying to them: ‘Please use your heating, don’t get cold and you’ll get some compensation.
‘But they are all worrying. They’re worrying about their bills.’
Today, Cadent crews and contractors were working on virtually every street in the Stannington village area, digging dozens of holes in the suburb’s roads.
The company said it had managed to reconnect some properties and was working through a series of zones.
Engineers work round the clock to put the heating back on for residents
- HOW DO YOU PLAN ON KEEPING WARM THIS WINTER? Email: Jacob.Thorburn@mailonline.co.uk