More than 700,000 people in England and Wales lack central heating, says ONS

Warnings of thousands of excess deaths this winter as official data highlights plight of most vulnerable

More than 700,000 people in England and Wales are living in homes without central heating this winter, one in 10 of whom are elderly and ill, according to figures that lay bare the plight of the most vulnerable.

The new official data highlights the extreme end of the conditions being suffered by those who live in 4m homes the government rates as non-decent" for failing to meet basic standards.