People in North Yorkshire sharing bath water to save money this winter
The Hygiene Bank says it's sad to see
A charity says it is sad to hear people in North Yorkshire are sharing bath water to save money this winter.
A study by the Hygiene Bank shows a quarter are taking fewer showers.
Kate Stoker, co-ordinator for the Thirsk branch, said: "People are sometimes even washing their clothes in the bath water at the end, they're using washing up liquid that you use to wash the dishes, to wash themselves and their clothes. That's how tight things have got for some of us in poverty. It's really quite harsh.
"There was a recent survey of about 500 school staff and 72 percent of those have said that hygiene poverty has increased in the children that they teach; anything from dirty hair, dirty teeth and dirty uniforms. This has got a detrimental effect causing them to have lower self esteem and bullying even.
"Demand for the Hygiene Bank across the whole of the UK has increased due to this. It's a kind of poverty that's not well aware. People think about poverty as not having enough food or heating but the hygiene has a huge impact, so yes there's been a greater demand.
"We're working to provide our community partners with these hygiene products that people are finding difficult to get a hold of, because they're paying all of their bills things such as buying shampoo, nappies, laundry detergent and period products are not being bought, so any donations would be greatly received."