A Leeds mum has resorted to dressing her one-year-old daughter in more and more layers to keep warm as the cost of heating soars.
Greta Bubneliene, said their energy bills have almost doubled and she’s had to keep heating at a minimum as the family's wages and Universal Credit struggle to stretch far enough to cover the bills.
The mum, who lives in Seacroft, works part-time as a manager for an Italian restaurant and her husband works as a delivery driver. The family are watching their bills get higher and higher as the cost of living crisis bites, leaving them struggling to lead 'a normal life'.
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The 29-year-old said: “We’re struggling to pay what we need to pay at the moment, our rent is really expensive. We’re struggling to live a normal life, I mean like going somewhere on a holiday or even going out somewhere to meet other people.
“All the bills are growing and growing, getting higher and higher. We used to pay like £300 a month and now it’s almost double. We’re just putting the heating on as low as we can, it’s been cold and our windows are not good. When it gets windy, our curtains swing around the windows.
“I’ve been dressing the baby with more and more clothes.”
Greta has also cut down on the amount of meat they’ve been buying.
Visiting the Seacroft Jobcentre, in North Parkway with baby daughter Lily to discuss her Universal Credit payments, Greta also hit out at the amount of rubbish dumped in front of the centre.
There was a discarded bin bag in the pathway, plus numerous pieces of paper and packaging all over the lawn and grass verge in front of the jobcentre when LeedsLive spoke to her there on Wednesday, May 11.
“It’s been snowing rubbish,” joked one man who was passing. Greta said it was not an uncommon sight in the Leeds suburb.
Greta said: “Just look at that, at the amount of rubbish that’s out there. In my eyes, it does not look proper. It’s the same in our street, where we’re living. Rubbish is everywhere. They don’t seem to care about the future of nature.”
Members of the Jobcentre staff came and cleared up the litter as best they could - but it was a lost battle with so many pieces of litter covering the lawn.
With regards to the rubbish, a A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "Our Cleaner Neighbourhood Teams have a vital role in helping to keep the city clean and safe. The council undertakes daily litter picking and street cleansing activities across Seacroft seven days a week. This includes regular emptying of the many litter bins provided across the area.
"However, as in all neighbourhoods, it is ultimately up to residents, local businesses and visitors to the area to take personal responsibility for how they dispose of their waste. The majority of residents do their bit by taking their litter home with them whenever this is possible and/or putting their litter in a street-litter bin.
"It is of course frustrating to those residents and those working and volunteering to help keep the streets clean when they see others then litter the streets."
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