SINGLE parents more likely to experience problem debt and live in persistent poverty, with many forced to go without food to make repayments, a new report has revealed. 

The charity Gingerbread has found that 82 per cent of Britain’s two million single parents, most of whom are women, do not have enough income to meet living costs and are being forced to borrow money, ending up in debt.

Single parents were also unable to work their way out of debt, the research shows.