someone else can explain better than me, but.. humidity is lower when it's cold but relative humidity is higher. Being outside in the uk when it's cold is often like being inside a cloud, with 100% relative humidity levels. Combine this with the old, badly insulated, difficult to heat housing stock, and you can guarantee that there is one part of the house (a north facing wall, say) that is at or dangerously close to the dew point for some part of the day/night. You wouldn't want to leave a steaming bath for longer than necessary.