The risk of losing your home in Salford is so high that's it's the second worst place in England, outside London, for house repossession and eviction claims, according to latest statistics published by Shelter.
The housing and homelessness charity compiled and compared mortgage and landlord `possession claims', which are court proceedings that can lead to repossession of houses and eviction of families. Salford was the second worst place in England, outside the London area, with one in every 61 households at risk – compared to one in every 105 households in England.
Salford was also the most at-risk place in the North West, compared to places like Tameside (one in 80 risk), Oldham (one in 65 risk) and Manchester (one in 64 risk). The highest risk place in country was Newham with a one in 35 risk.
Overall in the country, in the league table of `Eviction and Repossession Hotspots', Salford came 20th, with London areas dominating, apart from Nottingham in 17th position.
"Possession claims are the first stage of a legal process which can end with a person or family being evicted" states the Shelter report "In most cases it is followed by a possession order, which, if granted, is very likely to mean that person or family losing their home."
The report adds that "not all possession claims lead to possession orders, and not all possession orders lead to the loss of the home and eviction, but receiving a possession claim means a household is in a legal process where their home is at risk".
Last year, just under a quarter of families were legally evicted as a result of these orders, but Shelter claims the figures are an underestimate as "some households will leave 'voluntarily' before bailiffs are required…Many more households than this are struggling to keep up with the payments on their homes, and may voluntarily move or sell rather than face enforced eviction through the courts."
Shelter blames "a serious lack of affordable housing", despite mortgage interest rates being at an all time low. To this can be added a `cost of living crisis' with low wages, zero hours contracts and high unemployment also major factors, particularly in Salford.
Meanwhile, developers like Countryside Properties continue to build houses in bulldozed regeneration areas that are largely unaffordable to people who have been displaced.
Shelter adds "With housing costs soaring, and welfare cuts continuing to take their toll, the charity is bracing itself for a record number of calls this Christmas. New data released earlier this month showed that nearly 85,000 children in Britain face homelessness this Christmas morning"
Launching an emergency Christmas appeal, Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "It is heartbreaking to see that so many people in England face spending Christmas with the threat of losing their home hanging over them. Seeing that one home in every hundred is at risk of repossession is a frightening reminder that homelessness can happen to anyone.
"We are urging anyone who can to donate to our Christmas appeal and make sure we can be there for every family facing homelessness" he added "because no-one should be left to fight this battle on their own."
To support Shelter's emergency Christmas appeal - click here
To read the full Shelter Report click here
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