THE credit crunch proved so bad for one Sheffield family they ended up temporarily living in their car.
Laura Whitney and her partner Richard Webster spent two weeks camped in their V-reg Vauxhall Vectra with children Jessica, seven, and Jack, two, when they could no longer pay their £62,5000 mortgage after payments soared from £373 a month to £553.
The couple were on a 'sub-prime' mortgage after being classed as high risk due to previous credit problems - a type of loan with higher interest rates.
They were not given priority housing after they were classed as "intentionally homeless" and turned down for private rented housing because the repossession of their old home in Batemoor made their credit rating even worse.
Laura and Richard, a postman who earns about £1,000 a month, parked up outside different relatives' homes each night and at one stage had washing powder and supplies at several different properties so they could use the facilities to keep clean.
After their plight hit the headlines, Sheffield Council relented and offered the family priority for rehousing. In the meantime, they managed to arrange somewhere to stay with relatives while waiting for a new home.
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