THREE-QUARTERS of the public back a tariff on energy firms to help the elderly and disabled with their fuel bills.

Warm This Winter, a campaign mounted by more than 40 leading charities, found that an overwhelming majority supports the introduction of a social tariff funded by Britain’s 20 biggest energy companies.

The energy profiteers have pocketed £483 billion since the start of the energy crisis four years ago.

The campaigners’ demand for a tariff came as health experts warned that old and disabled people’s lives are at risk as temperatures plummeted this week, with snow expected.

Millions are already more fearful of putting the heating on as Labour cut winter fuel allowance payments to all but the poorest pensioners.

The poll found that 78 per cent of the public support a social tariff to be made available to older people and 86 per cent supported a payment to people dependent on powered medical equipment at home – such as dialysis machines, oxygen and artificial ventilators, or who rely on energy to power equipment such as wheelchairs.

The public backed the social tariff being funded by the energy industry — producers, networks and suppliers. There was also support for the cost being split between industry and general taxation.

There was almost no support for the tariff being fully funded by spreading the costs across everyone else’s energy bills, which the campaigners say is what usually happens with support schemes at present.

End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis said: “As a priority, ministers must set out plans to tackle affordability and discrimination in the energy market. 

“This is an imperative to reduce and prevent the public health complications that arise from so many millions of people living in cold damp homes.”

Warm This Winter campaign manager Caroline Simpson said: “The public believe that a social tariff must be implemented and this needs to be done as soon as possible.

“Hard-pressed bill payers also want to see this programme paid for by energy industry profits.

“Warm this Winter is demanding: more government help with energy bills to stop people being pushed into poverty this winter, government funding to cut bills through better insulation and new heating systems, rapid expansion of cheap renewable energy to lower bills permanently.”