ONCE again winter is almost upon us, and, once again, in this very prosperous country of ours, many thousands will die due to the cold.

It seems unbelievable, but last winter more than 27,000 people died from cold, and approximately 25,000 of these were elderly. But, if you remember, last winter was quite a mild one, with no serious flu epidemic. So what would happen if we had a hard winter?

Well I'll tell you. In the winter of 1999-2000 a staggering 40,000 people died from cold in this country. If we have a bad winter this year, the death toll could be even higher.

There would be a national outcry -- and rightly so -- if this sort of carnage occurred on the railways, or in the air, or if 40,000 lives were lost in a terrorist attack -- God forbid.

But, sadly, these statistics are tucked away, taking up just a few lines on page five and six of the national and local newspapers, if indeed they get a mention at all. And don't forget, this happens every winter. But who cares? Sadly, it seems, very few.

Brian Derbyshire

Ribchester Grove

Bolton