Skint Britain: Friends Without Benefits

When the residents of Hartlepool became guinea pigs for the roll-out of Universal Credit - the new benefits system aimed at getting people on benefits back to work - a series of events were triggered that even the government didn't predict. Far away from the Westminster bubble, the stark realities of the tougher new system's impact on people's lives come sharply into focus. Spiralling crime, homelessness, loan sharks, hunger and evictions hit the town as claimants struggle to survive. One local resident says 'it's Beirut', while another calls it 'absolute chaos'.

When the residents of Hartlepool became guinea pigs for the roll-out of Universal Credit - the new benefits system aimed at getting people on benefits back to work - a series of events were triggered that even the government didn't predict. Far away from the Westminster bubble, the stark realities of the tougher new system's impact on people's lives come sharply into focus.

When the residents of Hartlepool became guinea pigs for the roll-out of Universal Credit - the new benefits system aimed at getting people on benefits back to work - a series of events were triggered that even the government didn't predict. Spiralling crime, homelessness, loan sharks, hunger and evictions hit the town as claimants struggle to survive.