Money alert: Two million kids living in fuel poverty

More than two million children are "growing up cold" in England, according to new figures released this week, as a poll suggests that UK parents are sacrificing buying family essentials in order to heat their homes.

The shocking figures prepared for the Energy Bill Revolution show the number of children living in fuel poverty has increased by 460,000 over the past year, a rise of more than a quarter.

The figures are based on a new definition of fuel poverty for England, which has been adopted by the Government. It classifies someone as "fuel poor" if they live below the poverty line and have an energy bill higher than the median.

Under the new definition, there are seven million people living in fuel poverty in England.

The figures come ahead of Cold Homes Week, which runs from 3–7 February, when some of Britain's biggest charities and businesses will pile pressure on the Government to invest in home insulation to solve the fuel poverty problem.