A SHOCKING number of homes in the city are bad at retaining heat, sparking fears of fuel poverty as winter looms.

Some 66 per cent of house in Brighton and Hove had a “D” efficiency rating in March last year, meaning they a likely to be worse affected by the energy crisis.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition (EFPC) is calling for urgent action as 22,000 homes in city had no loft insulation, and a staggering 28,000 did not have cavity wall insulation.

The campaign group said Liz Truss’s £2,500-a-year energy bill price cap is an "expensive sticking plaster" if it were not accompanied by longer-term investment in energy efficiency.

Energy Performance Certificates show how effective a home is at keeping heat in – with ratings from A (the most efficient) to G – the least, meaning residents have to spend more on energy bills to keep their homes warm.

And with the majority of homes in Brighton and Hove performing poorly, the city faces a tough winter.

Some 6.9 million homes in the UK will suffer fuel poverty this winter, the EFPC predicts.

Of these, 5.3 million are in England alone.

Adam Scorer, chief executive of fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, called the bill cap announcement "good news", but warned more must done for those most in need.

"The new government must not forget that the most vulnerable need targeted support," he said.

"Those who use more energy in their homes because of medical conditions, those who are elderly and those on very low incomes need extra help, so they don’t have to ration their usage, putting their physical and mental health at risk."

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, said the plan "does not come cheap" and criticised Ms Truss for funding it through increased government borrowing, rather than a one-off tax on energy companies.

Though Liz Truss said it was a "moment to be bold".

“We are facing a global energy crisis and there are no cost-free options,” she said.

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is set to provide more details in an announcement later this month.