Helen, Newent

4 February 2011

My son and his partner live in a rented top-floor flat.  It's tiny but the rent is the highest they can afford. 

There's no real insulation because it's in what would have been the attic.  They have to spend a large proportion of their income on trying to keep one room warm enough. 

It's especially difficult because they have to dry their clothes indoors - with no outdoor space, no room or money for a tumble drier, and no laundrette within eight miles. 

Their hard-earned cash was effectively going out through the roof and ill-fitting windows at a rate of knots during the recent cold spell.  They've struggled financially as a result.