A woman sits on a bench outside Middleton Shopping Centre. Clutching a 99p McDonald’s cheeseburger, the sun momentarily breaks through the clouds as she points to a friend beside her.
"She’s had to buy four potatoes instead of a bag because she can’t afford it," she says. "We’re devastated – we're devastated because of money. We haven’t got any even though we work full time."
Like millions of people across the UK, the pair are terrified as the cost of living continues to surge. It comes as energy bosses confirmed the energy price cap will rise once again in October – plunging millions into fuel poverty.
