It’s been revealed that 13 million Brits didn’t put their heating on when it got cold last winter because they were “too scared”.
As regulator Ofgem prepares announce the next energy price cap this coming Friday, a shocking new survey by Which? has found that nearly nine in 10 (85%) British households have admitted to trying to cut back on their energy usage due to rising bills putting significant financial, physical, and emotional strains on consumers.
Nearly half (46%) of the of 4,000 people surveyed said they did not not turn their heating on when it was cold last winter.
This equates to an estimated 13 million households nationwide, according to Which?
Almost half of all British households were ‘too scared to put the heating on’ last winter / Credit: Pxfuel
One of the most concerning findings from Which?’s research is that consumers in lower-income households and those aged 45-64 years old are more likely than others to not turn the heating on when it’s cold.
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Half of households on less than £20,000 (51%) are not turning the heating on when it’s cold, compared to a third (32%) of households with annual incomes of more than £80,000 (32%), Which? said, while nearly half of households with annual incomes of £20,000-£45,000 (46%) and just under half (45%) of households on £45,000-£80,000 said they didn’t.
Those aged 45-64 are also more likely than other age groups to refrain from putting the heating on in cold weather.
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Which? says this is probably because this age group has more financial responsibilities than the younger age groups, but unlike their elders, are not eligible to access pension savings.
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Another concerning finding is that four in 10 (37%) of those surveyed by Which? said they were worried that their ability to recover from illness is worse now than before the cost of living crisis began – but freezing temperatures are known put people at higher risk of developing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases like asthma attacks, infections, heart disease, and strokes.
Which? says its research “clearly demonstrates” just how many consumers have had to make “severe cutbacks” to afford their energy bills, and are “putting their own health at risk” in the process.
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The consumer group is now urging Ofgem and the Government to “take action” to help consumers who are “struggling to make ends meet” when the October energy price cap is unveiled later this week, and introduce a “properly-targeted social tariff” that offers discounts to those most in need.
85% have also admitted to trying to cut back on their energy usage due to rising bills / Credit: Pxhere
“It’s hugely concerning that an estimated 13 million households have not switched the heating on when it’s cold due to fears of high energy bills,” commented Which?’s Energy Editor, Emily Seymour, as the survey findings were released.
“Our research shows that certain groups are more likely to be left in the cold this winter.
“The government and energy firms need to act now to help those most in need make ends meet over the winter.
“The government must introduce a properly targeted social tariff as soon as possible, and energy firms must ensure that their customer services are equipped to properly support customers over the winter.”
Hundreds of GP practices will begin combing patient records to offer urgent tests to those most at risk of one of the deadliest cancers.
It’s all in a bid to catch pancreatic cancer sooner rather than later.
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most-common cause of cancer deaths in the UK each year, with only 7% of people living for five years or more after diagnosis.
Most people with pancreatic cancer only recognise symptoms when their disease is at a late stage, so this is why the NHS wants to reach out to people as early as possible through its new screening initiative so they can get the best treatment available to them.
GP teams are set to start scouring online patients records to identify people over 60 who have the key early warning signs of pancreatic cancer – including being recently diagnosed with diabetes and sudden weight loss, as it’s said that around half of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have been diagnosed with diabetes recently.
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are usually not noticed until it’s at an advanced stage, so we need to find new ways to pick it up.
We’re working to seek people out who might be unwell without any symptoms, so we can provide people with the most effective treatment. https://t.co/6rlFVGN6UW
Even if a patient’s weight is not recorded, GP teams will reach out to patients to check they have not ‘unexpectedly slimmed down’ and offer them tests if they have new onset diabetes.
More than 300 GP practices across England will begin using the initiative – with dozens rolling it out now, and the rest due to be up and running in the autumn.
While GP teams already know the signs to look for, this new screening scheme provides almost £2 million in targeted funding to help practices reach out to those most at-risk and give patients the best chance of being diagnosed earlier.
NHS is starting to screen patient health records in a bid to catch one of the most ‘lethal’ cancers / Credit: RawPixel
When the practices taking part in the three-year pilot find the signs and symptoms they’re looking for, they will then contact patients and send them for urgent blood tests and CT scans to rule out cancer.
“Pancreatic cancer is responsible for so many deaths, because patients don’t usually notice symptoms until the cancer is at an advanced stage, which is why we need to find new ways to pick it up,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
Health Minister, Karin Smyth, added: “As someone who has faced cancer personally, I know all too well the fear that comes with a diagnosis and the precious value of catching it early.
“This targeted approach to identify people at risk of one of the most lethal cancers could give more people a fighting chance and spare the heartbreak of countless families.”
Featured Image – RDNE (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors
Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time it’s been named one of England’s most popular attractions.
Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.
The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.
The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.
When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.
So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.
The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.
Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.
Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo
“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.
“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.
“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.
“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd August 2023 
