This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7686023.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Loss for fuel poverty campaigners Defeat for fuel poverty campaign
(10 minutes later)
Campaigners trying to force the government to eradicate fuel poverty have lost at the High Court in London. Campaigners trying to force the government to eradicate fuel poverty have suffered a setback at the High Court in London.
Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged hoped to force the government to help millions of vunerable people unable to properly heat their homes. Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged accused ministers of not doing enough to meet targets for helping people who cannot heat their homes adequately.
The government has argued it is doing its best to help people with problems. But Mr Justice McCombe, at the High Court in London, dismissed the claim.
In an earlier hearing it said there had been a massive increase in fuel costs and that it was not in breach of its legal duty. Lawyers for the government had said it was doing its best in the face of dramatic increases in energy prices.
Michael Fordham QC, representing both groups, said fuel poverty was "a blight upon society" and meant that this winter some five million homes were expected to be under-heated in Britain.
It made a significant contribution to the 20,000 to 40,000 additional deaths in the winter months in the UK and also gave rise to environmental concerns, Mr Fordham said.