Green campaigners have claimed that residents in Merton can adopt measures to decrease their energy use by a third.

This comes after research in the borough from Sustainable Merton, London Sustainability Exchange and Parity Project, which investigated the energy efficiency of people's homes and how aware they are of energy efficiency, reports the South West Londoner.

Entitled Energise Merton, the project aims to look at potential sustainability improvements and prepare the borough for the Green Deal.

Speaking to the news provider, Sustainable Merton's community engagement officer Tom Walsh said: "People didn't know that much about the Green Deal. They were quite concerned about the day to day practicalities; one woman even asked what would happen to her dogs."

News of the campaign comes after a spokesperson from Empty Homes stated that the government should help to renovate vacant properties across the UK.

David Ireland, chief executive of the firm, argued that, with some help, there are people who could fix up empty sites successfully.