The number of homes across the UK that are in fuel poverty fell in 2010, research shows.

In 2009, four million households in England were struck by the problem, with this figure dropping to 3.5 million in 2010, according to this year's Annual Report On Fuel Poverty from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

With regard to the UK as a whole, the figure declined from 5.5 million in 2009 to 4.75 million in the following year.

The study has also predicted that there was 3.35 million households suffering from fuel poverty in  England in 2011, while the 2012 figure is expected to reach 3.9 million.

Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker said: "There is no room for complacency. Fuel poverty remains a serious national problem and the coalition is absolutely committed to tackling it."

The comments follow a study by Santander, which found that household bills have increased by nearly double the rate of inflation over the last decade.

The cost of these expenses rose by 71 per cent between 2001 and 2011.