Hygiene poverty at tipping point, charity warns

People are increasingly unable to afford items they need to feel clean and healthy, a charity has warned.

Rosemary Ashworth, deputy chief executive of The Hygiene Bank, told BBC Radio Surrey the "face" of hygiene poverty had changed and it was affecting people who previously felt financially secure.

"We're at a bit of a tipping point so now feels like the time to do something about it," she said.

Janice Sedgwick, a volunteer at the charity's Guildford branch, said needed items were things like "toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, sanitary pads and laundry detergent".

But she said people were also struggling to get products to keep their houses clean.

A recent survey of 3,042 UK adults by The Hygiene Bank and In Kind Direct suggested one in five (18%) had experienced hygiene poverty in the last six months, or someone in their household had.

The charities said two in five (41%) of those affected said they had experienced it for the first time this year.

The Hygiene Bank said the phenomenon "can create a vicious cycle, affecting health, confidence, education, work and social participation".

Ashworth said "It's not people who [you] might necessarily expect experiencing it," she said. "It's working families. People who previously felt financially secure...

"It feels like a problem that is worsening."

Tom May, from Guildford-based mental health charity Oakleaf, said a common issue was women needed hygiene products on a "certain basis", though stores were "pretty much empty by the end of the week".

The Hygiene Bank is urging people to donate essential products or money for National Hygiene Week, which ends on 11 October.

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