The money hasn’t gone up very much though. My energy bill has gone up, my food has gone up, water rates, council tax, everything. “I put 40 quid on the meter the other day and within two days it’s gone. “We’re just about paying the bills, we’ve got nothing left - I’ve got nothing left,” she said, sat on a bench beside her daughter-in-law Kate Williams and son Richard Williams. When 71-year-old Christine Wilkes wakes up in the morning she dons her bathrobe to keep warm, but she can’t bear not turning the heating on for her grandson Blake. It has put a stop to a lot of enjoyment.”Īndy says financially life is a struggle (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne) People here are surviving, especially this winter. Like most people, I’m trying to stop spending money enjoying myself. Business owners can’t compete with levels of inflation, which I understand.

The gas prices are too much, I was spending £25 a week just on cooking but now it’s doubled. “I used to put £10 a week on the electric but now it’s £40 and I haven’t even turned my heating on yet this year. “My rent went up by £200 a month,” he continued. READ MORE: Couple facing financial 'ruin' after builder leaves house in 'horrific' state The painful truth for Andy is that he couldn’t be living more stringently than he is now, and yet it isn’t enough. Merthyr Tydfil was last year the second most affordable area in the whole of Wales, behind Blaenau Gwent, according to multiple property websites including Zoopla and Rightmove.

“I’m not sure it’s sustainable, I’m thinking I might need to move out of Merthyr to find somewhere cheaper.” “My rent went up at the same time as everything else, so I had no choice,” said Andy, who sends as much money back to his family in Armenia as he can. He’ll finish at 6pm, and then head out in his car to deliver takeaways. The barber from Armenia began his shift on a busy Merthyr Tydfil shopping street at 9am. Andy Horvat is halfway through a 13-hour working day as he scrapes together as much as he can to pay his soaring bills.

Car town streets online