UK town so poor 'children have no shoes' and parents turn to loan sharks
A UK town is so poor some kids have 'no shoes' and parents are turning to predatory loan sharks to survive.
The cost of living crisis has impacted many but their plight of many has been an opportunity for an unscrupulous few.
The seaside town of Withernsea, East Yorkshire, relies on seasonal trade and has seen good times in the past.
But HullLive reports families have cut trips to the coast as their budgets bite and the town struggles for survival.
In October, the local South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoREs) organisation reported demand for its discount social supermarket had rocketed amid double-digital inflation.
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Withernsea town centre, East Yorkshire, where business has been hit by the cost of living (Peter Harbour)And councillors heard the area was scheduled to have a trial campaign to stop people from going to loan sharks and illegal lenders.
Paul Bellotti communities director said East Riding of Yorkshire Council would try to signpost people away from illegal lenders and to proper creditors amid fears loan sharks could prey on the desperate.
Officials had seen heart-breaking conditions among those coming to the council while around 4,000 people are expected to seek help with financial advisers by March.
Resident John Taggart was coping well but added he felt sorry for others in the town who were struggling.
The 63-year-old said: "I'd never go to one of those lenders myself but with the way things are I can see why people do.
Fewer people are visiting the seaside town as their budgets bite (Peter Harbour)"I'm from Leeds originally and over there they have shops that people take their TVs and things to and they use them to get a loan.
"The shop keeps them and if the person doesn't pay back in a week the TV or whatever it is they've put down gets taken away and they sell them.
"It would be terrible to be in that situation. Personally I'm all right at the moment, the only thing I'm trying to sort out is a house.
"I've lived in a holiday caravan ever since I moved here but now I'm looking for a house, but I just can't get one.
"That's the only thing I want right now luckily for me, when I get that I'll be happy for the rest of my life. I was a publican by trade and I've been here for 32 years, things are very different now.
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The area was scheduled to have a trial campaign to stop people from going to loan sharks and illegal lenders (Peter Harbour)"With the pubs alone you had lockdown and now you've got the price of everything going up. You can see the effects everywhere, I look at some of the kids around here and I feel sorry for them, their shoes are hanging off their feet.
"If I was a billionaire I'd love to help them out. But there's nothing I or anyone here can do for them."
Leslie Pettican, 69, said he and his wife had looked forward to their retirement in the town, only to be hit by high inflation.
Mr Pettican said: "Hearing people take about illegal lenders makes me worry about the way things are going.
"I wouldn't do it but it's just sticking a carrot in front of people who need money, if they're desperate they might not think about the consequences.
John Taggart said he felt sorry for those struggling amid the cost of living crisis (Rich Addison)"My wife and I are finding it hard, we've had to cut down because of the energy and food prices going up.
"I don't watch the news very much but I do know for more and more people the choice is between heating and eating. I know because we've had to make that choice
"I retired in 2019, we live in a caravan in one of the local holiday parks which was always a holiday home, we were looking forward to a nice retirement by the seaside.
"We manage though, we just go to the cheaper shops, I think the attitude towards it's a generational thing.
"You've just got to try and get on with things. Because the more you think about it the worse it makes you feel."
Caroline, who has always lived in Withernsea, said she was shocked at how much prices had risen and at the toll it was taking on the town.
She said: "Thankfully it's not something I've ever had to do, but in times like these when you've got single parents or families with little ones who are struggle and have nowhere else to go you can easily see it happening.
"No one benefits from having to do that, but we're not a rich town and if you don't have money you can't spend it.
People who retired for a life at the seaside are among those who have been affected by cost rises (Peter Harbour)"I think everyone's struggling right now, mostly with just trying to keep warm.
"Everything is miles, miles more expensive and it feels like so many places are closing down and up for sale.
"I've never known the cost of things to go up so quickly as they have in the past year, even things like a loaf of bread and a pound of butter.
"This time of year's usually not great and there's normally not a lot of people around anyway, but I don't know how it will be come summer.
"Last year seemed better than I expected, we had some cracking weather so loads of people came to the beach.
"The trouble is there wasn't many people in shops though, they didn't seem to be spending as much. But I don't know what things will be like this year, we'll have to see.
"For us you either heat or you eat right now. We have less luxuries so we can have more gas, simple as."
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