Warning low-paid face paying for either heat or food

PEOPLE living in disadvantaged areas will have to choose between feeding their family or warming them this winter, the Institute of Public Health (IPH) has warned.

Dr Kevin Balanda, IPH associate director, said people on lower incomes are reducing their food budget in order to pay rent, with increasing prices putting more pressure on families.

Research from the IPH, published yesterday, shows that one in five adults in disadvantaged areas cut their weekly food spending to pay other household bills such as rent, electricity and gas.