Four in ten people in Britain are living in homes which fall below an acceptable standard of living.

Housing charity Shelter claims that 27% of people in the UK do not live in accommodation equivalent to the "living home standard".

The "living home standard" is designed to be the housing equivalent of the living wage, helping Shelter measure what constitutes an acceptable home.

While a quarter of people living in the UK fell below the standard, 18% did so because of poor conditions - including pest, damp and safety hazard problems.

Many people are deemed in sub-standard homes because of 'poor conditions' Credit: PA

According to Shelter, 10% of those in substandard homes are in that position due to instability.

This is largely driven by renters who feel they do not have enough control over how long they can live in their home.

Shelter's chief executive Campbell Robb said: "The sad truth is that far too many people in Britain right now are living in homes that just aren't up to scratch - from the thousands of families forced to cope with poor conditions, to a generation of renters forking out most of their income on housing each month and unable to save for the future.

"Now is the time for a national mission to get to grips with our housing crisis once and for all.

We're calling on the new government, alongside businesses and other charities, to work with us to turn things around and increase the number of homes that meet the living home standard".