More than 7m UK households are in fuel poverty

The Independent reports that according to the Government's official fuel poverty statistics released in October, 4 million homes in the UK in 2007 were in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty is defined as spending at least 10 per cent of income on heat and power. However the Independent reports that: " in the latest research, a YouGov poll of 2,050 adults, 29 per cent of those surveyed said they spent more than a 10th of their income on fuel, equating to 7.25 million households". If the sample size is representative of the country as a whole this is a concerning statistic.