MORE THAN 70,000 pensioners in Devon and Cornwall are having

to choose whether they should "heat or eat" because of the

rising costs of fuel and bills, campaigners claim.

Help the Aged says 224,000 older people across the South

West are now living below the poverty level, a figure which

represents one in five of the pensioner population.

It would mean that more than 50,000 people in Devon are now

living in fuel poverty, with more than ten per cent of their

income being spent on bills. Of those, 8,000 are in Torbay and

9,600 are in Plymouth.

In Cornwall, the figure is more than 20,500.

Fuel bills have risen by a third, leaving people on low

incomes struggling to pay. They are already feeling the squeeze

because of the rising cost of food, the highest water bills in

the country and a council tax system which many feel is

unfairly based on the value of property.

Bernard O'Neil, spokesman for the Devon and Cornwall

Pensioners' Convention, branded the situation a "national

disgrace", which was further exacerbated in the Westcountry

because of rural isolation and sporadic access to buses.

He said: "The people in power are oblivious to the situation

older people are in. They don't seem to be getting any help

from anyone."

He said some of the worst hit were those who were just over

the threshold for claiming benefits and received no

support.

Ann Harding, who runs Paignton Day Centre, believes the

hardships are only just beginning for many pensioners, who will

be badly hit by winter fuel bills.

She said it would be a "double whammy" as the supermarket

price wars which keep food affordable would eventually tail

off.

Help the Aged has warned that nearly 3,000 pensioners deaths

in the South West each year relate to the cold, a situation the

charity has branded a "scandal".

Colin Hadley, chairman of the Devon Pensioners' Action Forum

– which has carried out its own research on the issue –

described the situation as a "major worry".

He said the state pension was £90.70 a week, and the

Government's poverty level was an income of £135.60. If

pensions had stayed in line with MPs' own pay rises, the weekly

payout would be £154.60.

"It's one rule for themselves and quite another for the

nation's elderly," he said.

Mervyn Kohler, special adviser for Help the Aged, said: "As

the costs of living continue to rise so too do the number of

pensioners living in poverty.

"Today an estimated 224,000 pensioners in the South West, or

20 per cent, are living in poverty and struggling to afford

essential household items.

"Older people who are finding it hard to make ends meet

should find out now if they're entitled to benefits such as

pension credit, council tax benefit or housing benefit."

He said around 450,000 older people in the South West are

eligible for pension credit, yet just over 200,000 currently

receive it.

"These vital benefits can make a huge difference to their

daily lives," he said.

Both EDF Energy and South West Water said they recognised

the difficulties some customers have, and had invested in

helping them meet their monthly bills. Anyone struggling to pay

should contact the companies.