“Legally, we can’t live here permanently,” says 67-year-old John Allen. “It’s just a temporary solution, and we’ll need to find somewhere else to stay between January and March after Christmas.”

In September, John, a former advertising executive, and his wife, Val, 69, were forced to sell and leave their family home in Manchester. They are one of thousands of mortgage prisoners struggling with above average interests rates post the financial crisis.

Today, they’re living in a static caravan in a holiday park in mid-Cheshire. It’s a 40-minute walk from the nearest shop or train station. The alternative was homelessness . New Feature

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John knows this all too well because the couple’s car has been broken down for two weeks, leaving him a

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