Paul used his burial fund to pay to fix a leaking roof. He had no other savings to cover the emergency repairs when water started flooding into his hallway.

“I’ll have to have a pauper’s funeral,” says the 74-year-old, who is single and lives alone in King’s Lynn in Norfolk.

Pensioners across the UK are struggling like Paul, with nearly two million facing poverty.

One in five older people living on a low income would find it difficult or impossible to cover an unexpected bill of £50, according to new YouGov polling commissioned by charity Independent Age .

Joanna Elson, the charity’s chief executive, says: “For older people on low incomes, even one unexpected bill can push them past the point where there’s nothing left to cut back.

“It’s unacceptable that so many are seeing their i

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