BRITISH Gas has launched a £multi-million scheme to help deprived households.

Medway is among the first areas in the south east to be targeted by HELP, the Home Essentials for Life Programme.

The £150 million initiative will help some of the UK's poorest households, giving away fridges and freezers to those living without, providing insulation and new boilers, aw well as advising on energy efficiency.

British Gas is contributing £74 million of the total cost, with the rest coming from local authorities and government schemes.

Medway Council is one of only seven organisations in Great Britain to be in the forefront of this new initiative.

Alison Breese, Assistant Director, Community Services for Medway Council, said: "We will be working closely with all of the partners in the programme over the coming months to ensure that help goes to the households who need it most."

HELP will target households that are seen spending more than 10 per-cent of their income on keeping warm, otherwise known as fuel poverty.

Mark Clare, managing director of British Gas, said: "In the 21st century, it is a scandal that there are people dying due to cold-related illnesses and suffering as a result of the lack of essentials for life."