A Pembrokeshire health worker has been left with no choice other than to remortgage her home as the cost-of-living crisis tightens its grip.

Medical secretary Beverly Griffiths has worked for the NHS for the past 17 years and although her starting salary was good, over the last few years it has fallen behind massively.

“Any tiny [wage] increases we may have had just don’t come close enough to meeting the rising costs of living,” she said.

“I’ve even had to take on a part-time weekend job to try to meet the extra costs.”

Now, the mother-of-two is having to make tough decisions concerning the way in which she and her family can move forward.

“We’ve had so many major issues to consider but we’ve been left with no choice other than to re-mortgage our home.

"So that we’ve got enough money left over each month to pay for the ever-increasing utility bills, childcare costs, the weekly food shopping bill, our fuel and all the other essentials.

“We also lost a fence in a recent storm which we can’t afford to replace but it means our back garden is less secure for the children and dogs.

"I'm not on the lowest pay band and I’m thankful we had options to ease the pressures but we do worry what the future holds; the cost of living continues to rise but our salaries are failing to keep up.”

Meanwhile UNISON Cymru/Wales is campaigning for an immediate above-inflation pay rise for health workers, as well as action on pay banding and issues of unpaid overtime.

The union is now organising transport from Wales to a major march against the cost-of-living crisis which takes place in London on Saturday June 18.

“The devastating impact of this crisis is being felt by families and households across Wales and throughout the UK,” said Karen Loughlin, general secretary of UNISON Cymru/Wales.

“Immediate action must be taken to ease the pressures on the finances of all public sector workers who are, as we all know, the backbone of our economy.

“We speak for all those hard-working families, and we will continue to fight for their voices to be heard in what is the worst crisis of its kind for a generation.”