London, January 6 (RHC-teleSUR) -- Over three million households across the United Kingdom are struggling to keep up with the cost of housing, according to new research published Monday.

Homelessness charity Shelter warned in its latest report that 60 percent of Britons are struggling with housing costs, while one in nine are afraid they wont be able to make rent or mortgage payments in January. Around 26 percent of people surveyed by Shelter conceded they would be too embarrassed to ask for help.

“I spoke to a lady recently who was sick with worry for months because she couldn’t meet her mortgage payments and felt too ashamed to ask for help,” Shelter's Nadeem Khan stated, according to the Independent newspaper.

“When a court notice landed on her doorstep, she finally came to us and we were able to help the family keep their home,” she stated. Shelter's report warned rising housing costs are largely to blame for the growing number of Britons in financial trouble.

U.K. housing prices rose by an average of 8.5 percent in 2014, according to a report by mortgage lender Halifax in late December.

Government figures suggest evictions peaked at over 100 per day in late 2014, with around 11,100 properties being repossessed between July and September. As for ordinary Britons struggling financially, Shelter said covering housing costs should be a priority.