Around 50 people a year are dying from cold in the West Chelmsford constituency.

That was the message given to the House of Commons by MP Simon Burns last week when he co-sponsored a Private Member's Bill aimed at alleviating "fuel poverty."

The Warm Homes Bill calls for action to provide households with a comprehensive package of home insulation, heating and other energy efficiency improvements.

Mr Burns said the bill was long overdue.

"In my constituency the number of deaths associated with problems of fuel poverty has been estimated at about 50 a year. In this day and age it is staggering that we cannot get our act together better to reduce those figures dramatically," he said.

Mr Burns added that it was estimated that 3,500 of the Chelmsford Borough Council's 7,500 tenanted homes still required simple energy efficiency measures.

"The council expects to complete those works within the next two years. Approximately 600 solid-walled and prefabricated dwellings in the borough are in need of insulation applied to the outside walls.

"That work is expected to take in excess of 10 years to complete at current funding levels.

"Approximately 2,000 dwellings still lack a central heating system. That work is expected to take more than five years to complete at present funding levels. Some 4,000 dwellings lack double glazing and that work is expected to take more than 15 years to complete."

Mr Burns paid tribute to the work of the borough council in the promotion of energy efficiency and savings over the past decade.

Mr Burns said later: "The bill is urgently needed to put an end to the indignity of fuel poverty which causes so much ill-health, suffering, financial and energy wastage to the less well-off in society, those on state benefits and pensioners.

"This bill will greatly improve the quality of life for at least 4.4 million people in England who suffer from fuel poverty."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.