A RECORD high of over seven million people in working households are officially in poverty in Britain — and the housing crisis is largely to blame, a study found yesterday.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity called for urgent access to genuinely affordable accommodation, as it was revealed that the number of private renters living in poverty has doubled to 4.5 million in the last 10 years.

The report also highlighted the need for higher wages, reversing cuts to the work allowance and plugging the gap caused by cuts to universal credit, which will cost a working family of four almost £1,000 per year.