ABANDONED CARS, HOMELESS NIGHTS: THE REALITY OF BRITAIN'S COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS
By Abubakar Basiru
June 12, 2016.
On the streets of England, the cost-of-living crisis is leaving visible scars. Some people are sleeping on pavements because they can no longer afford rent. Others are abandoning their cars by the roadside because the cost of keeping them on the road has become unbearable.
Behind the statistics are real people whose lives have been reshaped by rising living expenses, forcing difficult choices between survival and stability. One of them is 30-year-old Meena Khole, a South African woman who moved to England in 2015 in search of a better life. Trained in banking, she hoped to build a successful career and secure future. Instead, she found herself struggling to keep up with the rising cost of everyday life.
Her income was no longer enough to cover rent and other essential expenses. Eventually, she was evicted from her accommodation and left with nowhere to go. For a period, Meena joined the growing number of people sleeping rough in England.
According to UK government statistics for 2024, an estimated 4,700 people sleep on England's streets every night. Thousands endure homelessness even during winter, when freezing temperatures and snowfall make life outdoors especially harsh.
Although Meena has since received support from her local council, which now provides her with accommodation and food assistance, the experience appears to have taken a heavy toll on her mental health. Yet she remains hopeful. Her dream is to recover, acquire further training, and become a school teacher.
While some are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, others are finding it increasingly difficult to hold on to another necessity of modern life, a car. Owning a vehicle in England comes with significant financial responsibilities. Motorists must pay for insurance, vehicle tax, and an MOT certificate to certify roadworthiness. Added to these are fuel expenses and often costly repairs.
For many people already battling rising prices, these expenses can become overwhelming. As a result, some car owners are making a drastic decision: abandoning their vehicles altogether.
An estimated 21,000 vehicles were abandoned across Britain in 2021, highlighting how economic pressures are affecting even those who once enjoyed the convenience of car ownership. Ironically, one person's financial hardship has become another person's business opportunity.
Anton Corneliu, a Romanian migrant living in London, has built a livelihood around collecting abandoned vehicles. A former mechanic in Romania, he now gathers unwanted cars, dismantles them, and ships their engines to Africa for resale.
Sometimes, rather than allowing owners to abandon their vehicles, he offers them a small payment and takes the cars off their hands. His story illustrates the complex realities of economic hardship. While some struggle to stay afloat, others find ways to create opportunities from the challenges around them.
Together, the experiences of Meena and Anton paint a revealing picture of modern Britain—one where rising living costs are affecting lives in ways that extend far beyond household budgets.
For some, the crisis means sleeping on the streets. For others, it means walking away from possessions they can no longer afford to keep. And behind every abandoned vehicle and every homeless person is a story of resilience, sacrifice, and the difficult choices people make when survival becomes the priority.
Credit: Jamilah Tangaza
