The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has said there are 40,000 so-called ‘excess winter death’ as a result of the cold weather each year in the UK – 82.5% of these are among the elderly aged 75 and over.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there was an increase of deaths during Britain’s ‘beast from the east’ earlier this year.

The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers are urging members of the public who are aged 65 and over to sign up to their Cold Weather Priority Initiative (CWP).

The CWP initiative assists on identifying and helping those who are most at risk so they are prioritised for delivery when it comes to heating oil supplies throughout the winter months.

Guy Pulham, FPS chief executive, said: “Cold Weather Priority is an important industry initiative that was launched in 2017 and played a key role in the heavy snow we experienced earlier this year.

“Many of our members implemented the CWP scheme to help prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers during that bad weather period.

“FPS member will, over the next few months, be employing various methods to identify customers who they believe fall into the ‘CWP’ category, so that deliveries can be prioritised to these people during the winter months.”

Claire Perry, Minister of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has backed the initiative and said: “The last 12 months have shown the problems that severe conditions can cause and for those using heating oil and liquified petroleum gas to heat their homes this can be particularly challenging.

“The Cold Weather Priority Initiative is a welcome effort by the industry to provide security and comfort to thousands of those most in need.”

To find out more about the Cold Weather Priority Initiative, click here.