Many people, worried about rising fuel bills, ration their heating use to such an extent that it has a serious impact on their physical and mental health, and every year, around 25,000 more people
die over the winter months compared to the non-winter months.
They made do with what they had, which wasn't much, and many
died from a combination of overwork, malnourishment and inadequate housing (Caribbean mornings and evenings can be cool, particularly in the
winter months and West Africans who were brought
over as forced labour had relatively little tolerance for cold).