A North East pensioner with no surviving family has told the heartbreaking story on how he leaves his will out every night for whoever finds him when he has died.

John Foster, 76, from near Sunderland, featured in the Channel 4 programme Britain's Forgotten Pensioners, where he opened up on where he is in life.

In the programme, John documents the fact that he's financially struggling due to the cost of living crisis, saying he turns off his empty fridge and sits in the darkness as he can't afford to pay his energy bills.

But not only that, John also has to deal with great loneliness as he lives in the home he use to share with his parents and two siblings, who are all no longer with us.

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Speaking in the Channel 4 documentary, John said: "I'm completely on my own. I haven't even got any relations anywhere, I'm just here, that's it. Existing."

The programme showed John lay out his will and his funeral arrangements each evening before he goes to bed in case he dies during the night.

"I started doing this when my sister died. I've got no family - they've all gone - so there's nobody to do things like this," he said.

"If anyone comes into the house this is the first thing they're going to see. They will phone the funeral directors, they'll come out and everything will be done."

Heartbreakingly, John was asked if he ever feels sad to which he replied: "You should say 'do you ever feel happy?' Because I'm sad all the time."

The pensioner explained the circumstances surrounding his family's deaths, saying his brother died four days before his 41st birthday.

His sister died five years ago, while his parents tragically died within just 27 hours of each other.

"I've got no family, never been married, no kids," John added.

"Family, if you lose one or two it's bad enough, but if you lose all of them you're completely on your own and it's just a nightmare.

"I can't believe I'm the last one here. It takes getting your head around it, you just can't work it out."

Thankfully, John is now getting some help as Karen Noble, from local charity Pallion Action Group, helped him in accessing he benefits he is entitled to ensure he can pay for his energy bills.

"I'm getting a lot more money now, which I've been entitled to for a few years and I didn't know, I had no idea," John said afterwards.

He can now afford to go shopping and no longer has to rely on food banks.