Poll reveals parents in UK cutting back on food to pay for housing

A poll in the UK has revealed that one in three working parents in the south cut back on food to pay for their home.

According to new research from non-profit charity Shelter, nearly 800,000 working parents in the south of England cut back on food to help pay their rent or mortgage.

The YouGov poll of working families further revealed that almost one in 10 parents in the South had gone to the extreme of skipping meals to help pay for their home.

According to Shelter, hundreds of thousands of working families across the South of the country were at serious risk of losing their homes if they faced any sudden cut in income or further cost rises.

People concerned about losing their home could contact Shelter for free advice the report said.

According to the figures from the government's English Housing Survey, households were spending almost 30 per cent of their weekly income on housing costs alone, rising to 40 per cent for private renter, the online website of broadcaster ITV reported.

According to Campbell Robb, chief executive Shelter, no parent should be forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying for the roof over the children's heads. He added, the shocking figures showed that millions of UK citizens were having to make these kind of agonising choices every day.