Hygiene poverty at tipping point, charity warns

People are increasingly unable to afford items they need to feel clean and healthy, a charity has warned.

Rosemary Ashworth, deputy chief executive of The Hygiene Bank, told BBC Radio Surrey the "face" of hygiene poverty had changed and it was affecting people who previously felt financially secure.

"We're at a bit of a tipping point so now feels like the time to do something about it," she said.

Janice Sedgwick, a volunteer at the charity's Guildford branch, said needed items were things like "toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, sanitary pads and laundry detergent".

But she said people were also struggling to get products to keep their houses clean.

A recent survey of 3,042 UK adults by The Hygiene Bank and In Kind Direct suggested one in five (18%) had experienced hygiene poverty in the last six months, or someone in their household had.

The charities said two in five (41%) of those affected said they had experienced it for the first time this year.