Universal Credit: 'I went wild - and it hit me like a ton of bricks'

Paula was on Jobseeker's Allowance but had to switch to Universal Credit when her boyfriend moved in with her.

Universal Credit is a new benefit that replaces six existing payments - and it's been beset by problems.

Like a lot of claimants, Paula had to wait five weeks for the payments to start.

She was offered a large advance payment to see her through until then, which she was initially happy about. Then things went wrong.

"I have just got myself into one big mess and I've lost control over everything", she says.

You can watch the three-part series 'Universal Credit: Inside the Welfare State' on BBC iPlayer here.

Edited by: Ahmen Khawaja