WEAR Valley has one of the highest levels of child poverty in the country, according to new figures.

The claim comes after it was revealed that Britain has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world.

Around 3.6 million children, 28 per cent of the total, are living in poverty despite efforts by the Government to tackle the problem, campaign group End Child Poverty said.

The figures were revealed when the charity visited York last week to highlight the problem through a series of roadshows.

The organisation states that there are a shocking number of parents who cannot afford the basic necessities such as a warm winter coat or three meals a day.

One of the worst hit areas is Wear Valley with child poverty being well above the national average.

The average national figure is one in four but in places like Woodhouse Close, Bishop Auckland, and in West Auckland, as many as one in three children are living on benefits.

In Woodhouse Close figures show that 49 per cent of children are living in poverty, this is followed by Wheatbottom at 35.4 per cent and West Auckland with 35 per cent.

Leader of Wear Valley District Council, Olive Brown, said that she was alarmed at the figures but the council was doing what it could to tackle them.

She said: "The figures are bad. They are three of the most deprived wards in Wear Valley, in fact probably in the country, but we are trying all ways to do what we can through the Local Strategic Partnership and other means.

"Unfortunately, things don't happen overnight but we are trying to make a difference and we will make a difference.''

End Child Poverty Campaign manager Laura Payne said that the charity is hoping to keep up the pressure on the Government to stick to its pledge to eradicate poverty by 2020.

She said: "In some wards the figures are as high as 70 per cent. This is a really high number of children but we don't see it as the worst in the country. London is probably the worst.''

Child poverty was also evident in other parts of the North East. One of the worst hit areas is Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, where as many as 61.4 per cent of children live in low income households.