Cold-hearted

A COUNTRY that fails to look after its elderly is a failing country.

In Britain last winter, the number of people who died from the cold reached its highest total for more than 40 years.

What makes this so tragic is that each of the 50,100 excess deaths could have been avoided.

They are the victims of poor housing, high energy prices and an over-stretched health service. No one who is elderly should be forced to choose between heating and eating.

They should not be too frightened about the cost to turn up the thermostat. Ministers should not duck responsibility. Each year they are warned of the danger the cold poses to the elderly – and each year they fail to act. How many more unnecessary deaths will it take before they do act?