Winter deaths highest since 1999
There were an estimated 43,900 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2014/15, the highest number since 1999/00, official figures show.
The number of excess deaths was a jump of 151% on the previous winter, and the biggest year-on-year rise since 1967/68.
The majority of deaths occurred in people aged 75 or over, and respiratory diseases were the underlying cause of death in more than a third of cases, the figures from the Office for National Statistics show.