A SKINNINGROVE man, who has been using driftwood to heat his home, is the first person in the area to receive a Euro-funded heating system.

Heart patient Trevor Sainsbury, 59, now has gas-fired central heating paid for by the EC after assessors decided that his home was so cold they feared that cold weather would affect his health.

The new energy-efficient system was fitted by Redcar and Cleveland Warm Zone, following a £630,000 grant to the project in December.

Mr Sainsbury said: "The first time I turned the heating on it almost knocked me out. The house is lovely and warm. I used to collect driftwood from the beach but I can't get down there as well as I used to and the house was really cold."

Beccy Brown, director of Warm Zone, said: "Mr Sainsbury already suffers from heart problems and he was having to burn driftwood from the local beach in order to keep his terraced home warm.

"It's fantastic that we have been able to install central heating. We have also improved his home with loft and cavity wall insulation."

More than 17,000 households in the Redcar and Cleveland area are thought to spend more than a tenth of their income to keep warm. It is hoped that the cash, from the European Regional Development Fund, will help the Warm Zone to lift hundreds more homes in the borough from fuel poverty.