Four out of five poorest own a car

ALMOST every household in the country has a washing machine, a television and a mobile phone.

And even among the very poorest, four out of five run a car, a report by the Office for National Statistics reveals.

It found that just over one in ten people said they had difficulty paying the mortgage or rent.

More than a quarter of the population and two thirds of those in persistent poverty said a week’s holiday was beyond them. Even higher numbers – 38 per cent of the population and 69 per cent of those in poverty – said they could not cope with unexpected financial expenses.

Fewer than a quarter of the very poorest say they cannot afford meat, chicken or fish every other day.