Mail Online: charities have warned that one million elderly people in Britain are chronically lonely, with many not seeing or even speaking to someone every day.

Almost a quarter of those aged over 75 who live alone go whole days without any human contact – face-to-face or over the phone.

In total, one in ten men and women aged 65-plus – equivalent to around 1 million people – are always or often lonely.

But, as the population ages, the problem will blight the lives of even more with 1.5 million pensioners set to be affected by 2028.