Excess Winter Deaths - Freezing to death

The BBC reports that here are about 1,000 cold-related deaths in Northern Ireland in the winter. Some say it's more like 1,300.

These are known politely as "excess winter deaths". But many of them are directly related to fuel poverty. People who just can't afford to keep warm any more get ill and die because of the cold.

Anne O'Reilly chief executive of Age Concern in Northern Ireland said "It [ fuel poverty] has a devastating effect, it causes deaths" .

Northern Ireland has more winter deaths than places like Sweden or Germany where it gets really cold - a lot more. But then we have the highest number of excess winter deaths in the UK which is itself the highest in western Europe.