Spectre of overcrowding back to haunt Britain

Families are squeezing into homes they have outgrown but do not have the money to move out of, heralding a return to overcrowding in UK housing, according to a new study.

Finance firm LV said that after decades of overcrowding in decline, the trend had reversed, with the average family losing 11 square feet of living space in the past three years.

One in eight children now lives in overcrowded homes, while a similar number of families had made potentially unsafe modifications to their houses to create more space, the report said.

A survey of more than 1,000 households found that one in 12 families could not move for financial reasons while a similar number carried out work to create extra space, such as converting lofts or partitioning rooms.

One in 50 people modifying their homes admitted contravening building regulations with alterations that may be unsafe.

The research also found that the number of people working from home has increased by a fifth since 2008, with makeshift workspaces being used in corridors, cupboards and under the stair.

John O’Roarke, managing director of LV Home Insurance, said: “High property prices have forced many to remain in a house that they have outgrown and many are resorting to desperate measures to create extra space.”