Millions fear losing job would mean losing home

What would happen if you lose your job? Would you be able to afford your mortgage payments or rent?

Millions wouldn't, according to research by the housing charity Shelter, which shows that one in three workers could not pay for their home for more than a month if they lost their job.

Some 4.4 million people – 18 per cent – said that if they lost their jobs in April and couldn't get a new one right away, they wouldn't be able to pay their rent or mortgage at all.

The squeeze on people's budgets will mean a surge in demand from people at risk of becoming homeless, Shelter predicts.

Campbell Robb, the charity's chief executive, said: "The buffer between having a home and potentially becoming homeless is a single pay cheque.

"The depth of the financial pressure and insecurity felt by people across the country means that millions are living on the edge of a crisis, only secure in their homes for a matter of weeks.

"At the same time, support for people who have lost their homes is being stripped away – it's easy to see why every 15 minutes, another family in England finds themselves homeless."