HOMES in Herefordshire are wasting huge amounts of money and causing serious pollution because they are so energy inefficient.

More than 2 in every 3 homes in the county is wasting nearly £350 a year in energy costs, while also pumping about 5.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air and polluting the atmosphere.

Homes get an energy efficiency rating from A (the best) to G (worst), with C being just above average.

The government’s aim is to get all homes at C by 2035, but the scale of that challenge is highlighted in new figures compiled by BBC journalists.

A total of 62% of English homes are below average, but Herefordshire is pushing towards the top of the inefficiency league table with 69%.

Of the 56,344 homes in the county, 39,031 are below par.

Some good news is the high number of homes rated D, just short of the target level. There are 20,405 of them.

The bad news is that leaves 18,626 in the worst three levels. There are 2,155 homes in the bottom G grade.

The county is not only above the English average for inefficient homes, it is also worse than neighbours like Shropshire (66%); Malvern Hills (67%); and Monmouthshire (59%).

Nationally, more than 12 million domestic properties across the UK fall below the government's l long-term target to make homes energy efficient.

Energy efficiency ratings look at things like: the cost to keep a home warm, provide hot water and lighting; Co2 emissions; double glazing; wall and roof insulation; type of fuel used for heating - e.g gas; renewable energy use, e.g. wind turbines, solar panels.