Bounty

Families had £5 a week less disposable income this July than in July 2009, research has shown.

And separate figures show that finances are still under pressure for August.

Supermarket group Asda found that the average household had £175 a week to spend after their outgoings last month, whereas they had £180 the previous July.

The group blamed pay rises not keeping up with inflation, with average earnings in the three months to the end of June being at an annual average rate of only 1.6%, when inflation in July was 3.1%.

This month, around 30% of people said their finances had worsened, according to a survey by Markit and YouGov, which blamed a drop in pay along with a hike in the price of goods and services.