Charity warns people unable to afford hygiene products

Tina Leslie MBE said some people in Leeds were so hard up they were washing their hair with washing-up liquid

People are using washing-up liquid to clean their hair and clothes as they struggle to cope with rising prices, a charity said.

Freedom4Girls, which tackles period poverty, said they are seeing increasing demand in parts of Leeds for basic items such as shampoo and soap.

Founder Tina Leslie said: "If you cannot afford food then you cannot afford period or hygiene products".

One city foodbank warned the problem may worsen during the school holidays.

Some West African families in Leeds were experiencing "huge problems" with poverty, according to Hawa Bah

Hawa Bah, from Hawa Dal Peaceful Mind, which supports about 100 West African families in Leeds, has also experienced people struggling to buy the basics.

She said poverty was a "huge problem" in some parts of Leeds.

"But you don't know until you talk to people and then you find out how difficult it is," she said.

"It's very bad to use washing-up liquid to wash your hair, but all this is because of poverty."

Staff at the foodbank at St Aidan's Church in the Harehills area of Leeds said they had seen the numbers of people needing help "rise dramatically "in recent weeks.

The number of people needing help had increased in recent weeks, staff at St Aidan's Church food bank said

Pat Case from the church said the situation was unlikely to improve.

"In the summer months children are at home and families have to provide additional food during school holidays so things are getting very tight," she said.

Ms Case's fears have been echoed by Olga Callaghan from the Association of Ukrainians in Leeds.

She said hundreds of women and children who fled the war had arrived in the city with "almost nothing".

"Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, we all know what price they are, £10 or £20 - basics feel like luxuries to them, so we give them anything we can to help, just to see them through.

Ms Leslie said the charity is continuing to try and source basic products to ensure they can provide them to the people they support.

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