A woman in the UK was forced to eat warmed-up cat food for Christmas after being left unable to afford a warm meal due to the cost of living crisis.

The cost of living crisis has affected many households in Britain, due to rising energy bills and inflation driving up the price of everyday essentials.

Some have been left with the desperate choice of whether to spend their money on eating or heating their homes after finding they are no longer able to afford to do both.

A councilor has now revealed that someone in their community was left having to eat heated-up cat food after struggling to afford food over Christmas.

[[imagecaption|| The woman had turned to eating warmed up cat food to survive. Credit: Lightspruch / Alamy]]

Chelmsley Wood parish councilor Michael Connolly told Birmingham Live of his shock after finding out the woman had to go to such desperate measures to survive.

The unnamed woman is one of many residents who visited a 'Friday hub' community support group for the over 60s, where they receive free food and entertainment.

Cllr Connolly explained: "It's almost invaluable at the moment. One person who lives local to here was heating cat food. People can't afford to have the heating on all day. They can't afford to eat hot food every day."

Since launching six weeks ago, the number of residents using the service has skyrocketed, with them turning to the group for free hot drinks and a warm meal in their time of need.

He added: "It's absolutely fantastic. We've got people who have nowhere else to go. We've got people who don't have anybody to spend time with.

[[imagecaption|| Some have been left with the desperate choice whether to spend their money on eating or heating their homes. Credit: phil wilkinson / Alamy]]

"Some people have partners that have passed away. [There are] various reasons why they want to get out of the house from time to time. There's not a great deal on offer around the area."

While the service is run for the over-60s, the group has renamed themselves as "the recycled teenagers" rather than referring to themselves as pensioners.

The ongoing cost of living crisis and the spiraling cost of energy has led to fears that there could be worse to come, with the National Grid warning that homes could face blackouts and lose power for three hours at a time over the winter if energy supplies run too low.

It comes after the UK faced freezing temperatures and snow before Christmas, with the Met Office warning of an "Arctic blast" still to come, which could see the country face temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).

Featured image credit: Alex Segre / Alamy

Woman forced to eat cat food for Christmas as she can't afford warm meal