A CAMPAIGN to get Winchester's mobile home residents included in the Government's fuel poverty schemes has received a boost.

Eight tenants at Flowerdown Mobile Home Park in Littleton will trial two products designed to reduce emissions and heating bills.

It comes on the back of work by Winchester MP Mark Oaten who brought the issue to the attention of the Government.

The aim of the campaign - and the trial - is to prove to Whitehall that technologies exist to reduce emissions from mobile homes. It is hoped this will then allow residents to apply for Government funding and lift themselves out of fuel poverty.

They currently fall into a loophole in the fuel poverty and other energy efficiency programmes. Around 550 households in the constituency are affected.

For example liquid petroleum gas, the fuel commonly used to heat mobile homes is excluded from Warm Front payments.

"Getting this funding is really good news, not just for those people who will have these insulation devices installed but hopefully for all park home residents in Winchester and even the country," said Mr Oaten. "Because these studies will hopefully prove the viability of these products and the Government won't have any excuse not to help out mobile home residents."