Elderly take to bed as ‘heating season’ cut

Elderly people are going to bed early and staying there later in the morning to try and keep warm without a fuel allowance to fund their heating bills.

Wind and rain battered the country this week, with temperatures dropping to three degrees in weather described by some as more wintry than we had experienced all year.

However, fuel allowances were cut three weeks ago for those on social welfare as part of Budget 2012, which reduced the “heating season” from 32 weeks to 26 weeks of the year. According to the Department of Social Protection, the “heating season” will not begin again until Oct 8.