UK heatwave forces one in six Britons to sleep in kitchens
A Citizens Advice survey of 2,105 UK adults found that one in six Britons are taking drastic measures such as sleeping in kitchens, missing work or booking hotels to escape overheating homes during the summer heatwave.
44% of respondents said they lack basic control over their home temperature. Among tenants, 51% feel unable to stop overheating compared with 40% of homeowners. Four million people resorted to makeshift solutions like tin foil, cardboard or damp sheets on windows, and 90,000 heat‑network consumers were unable to turn off central heating in summer.
Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty called the situation a year‑round crisis and urged the government to act through the Warm Homes Plan, improving insulation, ventilation and heat‑network upgrades. A government spokesman said new grants for air‑to‑air heat pumps that can both cool and heat homes are being introduced, and protections for tenants facing dangerous overheating are being strengthened.
Entities: Citizens Advice · Dame Clare Moriarty · UK Government · Warm Homes Plan
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] 90,000 heat network consumers were unable to turn off their central heating even in summer. (Citizens Advice survey)
- [● 3 SOURCES] 44% of respondents feel they lack basic control to stop their houses overheating. (Citizens Advice survey)
- [● 3 SOURCES] One in six Britons are taking drastic action such as sleeping in the kitchen, missing work, or booking hotels to cope with heatwaves. (Citizens Advice survey)
- [● 3 SOURCES] 51% of tenants feel they lack basic control to stop overheating, compared with 40% of homeowners. (Citizens Advice survey)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The UK government is introducing grants for air‑to‑air heat pumps that can both cool and heat homes. (Government spokesman)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Citizens Advice surveyed 2,105 UK adults on July 1‑2. (Citizens Advice)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Four million people used makeshift solutions like tin foil, cardboard, or damp sheets on windows to cope with heat. (Citizens Advice survey)