60% of people struggling over cost of heating homes

ALMOST 60% of people are having difficulties covering the cost of heating their homes, according to a survey.

Carried out by Elizabeth Finn Care, which provides grants and support to people struggling to make ends meet, it also found that 35% of people here living in fuel poverty run the risk of being ill this winter, with 40% of these people saying that heating their home is the main financial concern over the upcoming months.

Finbarr Fitzpatrick, the Irish National Officer for Elizabeth Finn Care, warned that as energy bills increase, it was expected the number of people becoming ill, as a direct result of not having a heated home, will also rise.