The cost of living crisis is responsible for a third more women reporting domestic abuse to charities, a Sky News investigation has found.

Several victims and charities say the financial squeeze on families is leading to “unprecedented levels” of women coming forward.

The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is seeing record numbers, with one support worker telling us there is regularly a five-hour wait to get through to a call handler.

New research by Women’s Aid reveals that 96% of victims say that the cost of living crisis is making their abuse worse, and 73% of victims say they are scared to leave their abusive home because of fears over finance. Those who do leave face an uphill battle to find accommodation, as most refuges are full.

Sophie Jones, a family support worker at the Cassandra Centre, said: “We’re seeing more women coming forward than ever before. Every single day we get more and more referrals. The cost of living crisis is making an already broken system even worse.”

Women’s Aid is calling on the government for more help. Chief executive Farah Nazeer said: “This crisis is having an unprecedented impact on women and children and requires urgent action.

“We urge the government to provide an emergency support fund for survivors to offset the impact of the cost of living crisis. We also ask that the government offers discounts on energy bills to domestic abuse services that provide lifesaving support.

“We are quickly approaching the winter months where the crisis will only get worse. Survivors have suffered enough, having been trapped in their homes during COVID, they must be offered the help they need to support their children and to be free from abuse.”

Labour MP Rosie Duffield was a victim of domestic abuse. She gave her testimony to the House of Commons in 2019.

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She said: “It’s been three years since I did that and every single day I’ve had women getting in touch asking for help. Last night a lady emailed me.

“The cost of living is having a big effect. There are all these factors like extra stress, job insecurity, all of those things make life more scary for an abuse victim. You walk through the door, and you don’t know what you’re going to get.”

In April, Sky News revealed how domestic abuse victims were placed in “horrific” conditions, with ant infestations and windowless rooms.

We discovered that thousands of women and children are unable to find permanent accommodation after fleeing an abusive home. Many refuges are full, and victims are often passed around temporary accommodation for several months – even years.

We spoke to one mother who fled with her young son seven years ago. And they still haven’t been offered a permanent home.

Karen, who cannot be identified, said: “I naively assumed that when you were in that much a dangerous situation, there would be this net to hold you and grab you. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

“I’ve had no help whatsoever from the local authorities I’ve been dealing with. They don’t see me as a victim. They just see me as a number. I’m trying to explain that my son is really traumatised and needs a home. He’s suffered so much. He’s been moved six times in seven years. He’s so unhappy.

“I’ve not said anything all these years because I’m scared. I’m still scared, but the need to speak and tell people what it’s really like is greater.”

Despite the rise in women coming forward, the most recent crime statistics show that prosecutions for domestic abuse have gone down by 6%.

The Cassandra Centre, an independent charity in south London offers support for victims in the capital, receives no government funding.

We spoke to several victims there who have never found justice. One young mother told us that despite her partner being arrested 26 times, he was never convicted.

A government spokesperson said: “Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that ruins lives. We are working across government to ensure victims, survivors and their families are fully supported.

“Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests over £230m, including over £140m to support victims and survivors.”