MOSCOW, 3 Dec. Because of the widespread high cost, Britons are eating pet food and heating food with candles, writes The Independent.
Amid rising bills, families are having to make difficult choices between heating and food, with the result, it is claimed, «some are forced to go to extreme measures.»
«I'm still shocked that some people finish eating their pet food, while others warm up food on candles or on a radiator,» said Cardiff food program manager Mark Steed.
According to him, these stories «amaze to the core.» «We know about this from reliable sources. People told us about it in tears — this should not be,» the public figure complained.
Steed, who has been active in the community for 20 years, said Cardiff is «generally a thriving city, but there are «unacceptable pockets of deprivation» here as well. “People are underpaid and they can’t afford the bare necessities. Due to inflation, prices are rising, so people have to save or simply give up something. They say that they give all their free time to earn money,” he concluded.
As the Independent notes, the price increase in the UK was the highest in four decades, while wages remained at the same level, it is expected that in the next two years the average purchasing power of the British will fall by 6.2%.
«More civil servants (in particular , teachers and health care workers) are turning to food programs to make ends meet. In addition, strikes have increased among workers in education, the National Health Service and the railway industry for higher wages,» the article says.
After the beginning of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the West increased sanctions pressure on Moscow. The disruption of supply chains has driven up fuel and food prices in Europe and the US. In the UK, the rising cost of living has hit millions of households. The Bank of England raised its base interest rate by 75 basis points to 3% from 2.25%. The regulator also said that the UK economy has entered a recession that is expected to last all of 2023 and the first half of 2024. Annual inflation in the country in October reached 11.1%, which was a 41-year high.
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