Low-income families are turning to loan sharks and have fallen behind on payments by an average of £1,600 as Brits face a "year of financial fear".
Ministers have been urged to ease the squeeze on struggling families by capping the amount of money clawed back from Universal Credit payments to pay off debts.
New research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found about 7 million households – equivalent to every family in the north of England - have missed out on essentials like heating, toiletries or showers because they couldn’t afford it this year, or didn’t have enough money for food last month.
Some 1.3m low-income households (11%) have used credit to cover essentials.
And more than two million households are in debt to high interest lenders like loan shark or doorstep lenders.
