Families staying cold to pay off debt

Energy bills, high housing costs and debts are forcing people to turn the heating down, despite the current freezing weather.

A survey by Shelter found more than one in four of us are trying to spend less on gas and electricity to concentrate on debt management, or paying the rent or mortgage.

For most people the cost of keeping warm this month alone is likely to be as much as £200, as we face the longest cold snap in nearly thirty years.

Kay Boycott from the charity says it's shocking people are being forced "to make a choice between keeping warm and keeping a roof over their heads...one and a half million children could be freezing in their homes because their parents are struggling to pay unacceptably high housing costs."

She adds, "The housing crisis is spiralling out of control and we can no longer ignore the huge repercussions this is having on people’s lives."

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