The Scottish Executive must do more to combat fuel poverty and stop old people dying from cold this winter, a charity for the elderly has warned.

Dundee-based Age Concern advocacy officer Ian Borthwick said elderly people experiencing problems during cold spells was something he sees every year.

He praised the Executive’s initiatives to eradicate fuel poverty among older people but warned it was not enough.

He said more spending to tackle the problem would save money in the long run by cutting down on health and social work costs if people remain healthy and warm.

He was speaking after Executive figures revealed 286,000 households live in fuel poverty—defined as having to spend more than 10% of your income heating your home. The figures include 105,000 pensioners living alone.

“In Scotland, we have higher excess winter deaths than much colder countries in Europe.

“More older people having illnesses aggravated by the cold adds increasing costs to the health service in Scotland and social work support services,” he said.

The number of deaths as a result of excessive cold was 23 last year.

Tayside had one death attributed to cold weather but Mr Borthwick said the figures did not reveal the scale of the problem.

“We regularly repeat the advice for friends, neighbours and family to look out for older people this winter. It’s important people exercise a caring oversight.

“It is vital we watch out for the warning signs that all may not be well. If people suspect something is wrong they should get in touch with the relevant authorities.”

The Executive said it was committed to eradicating fuel poverty by 2016.

A spokesman said, “We have introduced the central heating programme for pensioners and public- sector tenants who are without central heating.

“Fuel poverty in Scotland has more than halved since 1996.”