RESEARCH has revealed that parts of the North-East are among the worst in the country for fuel poverty.

It is caused by the combination of poor housing and low income, with householders often suffering from ill health because of living in cold, damp homes.

A new tool for predicting the country's worst areas shows two wards in Middlesbrough, Southfield and Westbourne, and Owton, in Hartlepool, as being among the worst affected in the country.

In Southfield, 46 per cent of people are predicted to live in fuel poverty while in Westbourne and Owton the figure is 42 per cent.

The Fuel Poverty Indicator was launched this week by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and Bristol University.

"We are convinced that the new Fuel Poverty Indicator will help organisations pinpoint and tackle the misery of cold, damp homes," said William Baker, the CSE's senior researcher and joint author of the report.

"Health organisations can therefore use it to plan and target their services. Researchers can investigate whether fuel poverty contributes to poor health.

"Local authorities can monitor progress on their affordable warmth strategies and community groups can provide evidence to support their funding bids.

"We want as many people as possible to be aware of the indicator and to use it in their work."

The indicator, which has been funded by electricity company SWEB, is capable of predicting the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty for every ward in England.