ELDERLY people who pay for heating rather than having it included in their rent are twice as likely to become seriously ill during winter, according to research.

The study by the University of Teesside says that financial pressure on elderly people to heat their homes leads to extra risk.

The research, carried out by Steve Fenby, Tracey Howe and James Goodwin from the the university, involved two groups of older people from the North-East who were divided into two heating categories.

The "cold" group paid separately for their heating from their rent

The "warm" group either paid a flat rate for heating as part of their rent, or paid a separate flat rate heating charge, regardless of consumption

Last winter, researchers monitored the temperature of older people's homes in both groups, as well as their daily movements.

They found that older people charged for heating over and above their rent had significantly colder homes because they cut back on heating to save money.

Cold group members also went outside more often than members of the warm group, increasing their exposure to wintry weather.

Researchers have concluded that people in the cold group doubled their risk of fatal illness brought on by the cold, such as heart attack and stroke.

The study was funded by the Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust.

Dr Naomi Brown, of the trust, said: "This is an important piece of research which suggests that the financial pressures on older people to heat their homes adequately lead to colder homes. This in turn leads to behaviour that places them at increased risk of poor health in the winter."

She said elderly people should insulate their homes, heat them properly and wrap up when going outside.