Low-pay Britain, where working families have to rent a fridge

'Deprivation poverty' - not being able afford to buy things most would regard as essential - is on the rise: and more than half of those affected have jobs

There's a minor domestic crisis in any family when the fridge-freezer breaks down. Wasted food; no fresh milk; pools of water on the kitchen floor. But for some households, the demise of the washing machine, the tumble dryer or the telly is more than a hiccup - it throws up a major financial challenge.

That's where firms like BrightHouse come in: pop into one of its 291 stores, and instead of having to find several hundred pounds up front, you can replace a busted appliance for a much more manageable 10-15 a week.

Many rent-to-own customers - who have on average 19 a week spare for one-off costs - have little or no alternative

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