ABOUT four in 10 people bought less food during the past two weeks due to the rising cost of living, according to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey published today.

Thirty-nine per cent of adults said that they had trimmed back their grocery shopping, rising from 34 per cent a fortnight ago and 18 per cent at the start of the year.

The survey also revealed that 91 per cent of British adults reported an increase in their cost of living, up from 88 per cent earlier this month.