Families unable to save 'stretched to breaking point' by housing costs, Shelter warns

Families in England are being "stretched to breaking point" because of the high cost of housing according to homeless charity Shelter.

One in three could not afford to pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job and have little or no personal savings to fall back as revealed in a survey by Shelter and YouGov.

The study asked 8,381 adults which included 1,581 working families with children, how long, if at all, did they think they could afford to pay their rent or mortgage from their savings if they lost their job and could not find work?

Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb said the figures showed working families are "stretched to breaking point".

A Government spokesman said: "We are continuing to spend around £90 billion a year on working age benefits to ensure a strong safety net for the most vulnerable.

"And for those who do fall on difficult times, there are strong protections in place to guard against the threat of homelessness, and ensure we don't return to the bad old days when homelessness in England was nearly double what it is today."