THE government issued its first cold weather alert this year, while millions continue to ration their energy use to dangerous levels. 

The UK Health Security Agency issued a yellow cold weather this weekend for north-east England, the north-west, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and West Midlands, which will last until November 21. 

Six million people already live in fuel poverty in Britain and plummeting temperatures mean that vulnerable households will need to spend even more to keep their homes warm. 

On Friday, Ofgem will announce January’s energy price cap after it hiked it by 10 per cent last month.

National Energy Action’s Peter Smith said: “With energy bills rising since October and far less support available nationally this winter, millions of people are already rationing their energy use to dangerous levels or getting deeper into debt trying to keep warm. 

“Sadly, even this brief cold spell will be a threat to people’s health and worse and will create further extreme hardship for millions of households.”