More than 1.7m households will not turn on the heating this winter - study

More than 1.7 million households say they won't turn on their heating this winter, according to research by the comparison site Uswitch.

- Mabel Banfield-Nwachi

This has risen sharply from the 972,000 who said they took this drastic step last year.

Uswitch's research found 55% of households citing rising living costs as the reason they would hold out on heating their homes, while a quarter of pensioners put it down to the loss of winter fuel payments, despite it being a potential health risk.

Searches for hot water bottles on the Argos website have increased by 257% year on year, while demand for heated blankets is up by 224%.

Elise Melville, the energy expert at Uswitch, said: "Cold weather can be challenging for households struggling with their energy bills, but spending winter in a cold home can be a health risk and households should keep the temperature at safe levels."