Welsh people are being forced to eat pet food since they can`t afford anything else, British media has reported, adding that some have to heat food on the radiator since energy costs have sky-rocketed.
According to the latest census data, roughly 54% of households live in poverty due to unemployment, poor health or disability. Last month, the cost of food rose 12% compared to November 2021.
Pessimistic reports arrive as the UK is haunted by an energy crisis. The global economy slowed down during the COVID pandemic and later western countries imposed anti-Russian sanctions in the wake of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine.
However, the sanctions have backfired, accelerating inflation and pushing millions of households to the brink of fuel poverty, when families are deprived even of proper heating. In the UK, inflation reached a 45-year high. Wales as one of the poorest regions in UK has been hit especially hard.
For years, Wales used to receive extra funding from the EU as a poor region. However, Welsh citizens in their majority voted in favor of Brexit, and when it happened, the region lost funding from Brussels. Now, the idea of Wales as a sovereign state is popular in the region. In October, thousands of people took part in a rally in support of Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.