Benefits warning: 'Housing pressures are enormous'

Workers are increasingly depending on benefits to pay their rent, the body which represents English housing associations has warned.

The National Housing Federation says a failure to build homes has led to an 86% rise in UK workers claiming housing benefit from May 2009-May 2012 because of soaring rents and house prices.

Rod Cahill, Chief Executive of the Catalyst Housing Association, which provides more than 21,000 homes across London and the South East of England, says the housing pressures are enormous and the key issue is to provide affordable accommodation.