Nearly a third of people using foodbanks in Wandsworth are children, according to figures released by the Trussell Trust.

The Wandsworth foodbank provided emergency food to feed 1,764 people in the six months between April and September last year, an increase of 24 per cent on the same six months in 2014.

May 2013: First foodbank set to open in Wandsworth

The figures show an increase in the number of single parent families being referred to Wandsworth foodbanks, with a 43 per cent rise on 2014.

Three in ten people fed in this time period were children.

The most common reason for referral to a foodbank has been a delay in benefit delivery, including administrative errors and moving from one benefit to another.

Sarah Chapman, Wandsworth Foodbank Trustee, says: "Families and individuals are left in crisis through no fault of their own and are unable to afford the basics of food, gas and electricity for themselves and their children - a situation that I’m sure none of us think is okay."

Of those referred in this period, 36 per cent were having benefit delivery issues, 22 per cent were on low incomes, and 11 per cent had debt problems.

Emergency fuel grants are also being offered in Wandsworth, for families who pay for their electricity on a pre-payment meter.

Wandsworth foodbank points to figures by the Labour Party which showed that residents in Roehampton, West Hill, Tooting, Graveney and Latchmere would have the highest numbers affected by the changes to tax credits.

According to the statistics, these five wards also saw the highest number of residents referred to Wandsworth foodbank between April and September 2015.

Wandsworth Times:

Sadiq Khan MP with volunteers of the Furzedown Foodbank

Councillor Candida Jones, who represents the Furzedown ward for Labour, said: "Over the last two years, while I have been a regular volunteer at the foodbank in my ward of Furzedown, I have seen those worst-hit by the government’s cuts.

"The benefits system is deliberately punitive to deter even the most needy from getting help, like the man with MS referred to the Furzedown foodbank who had missed his appointment at the job centre as a result of his illness, had his benefits suspended as a result and was being punished with hunger.

"People in Wandsworth are having to choose between heating their homes or feeding their families.

"Hunger of this scale is reminiscent of Victorian England and should have no place in a modern, civilised society."

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan said: ""This shocking increase in the number of people using foodbanks in Wandsworth is a direct result of the current government’s policies. It is a badge of shame in one of the richest cities in the world that there are an increasing number of vulnerable people dependant on foodbanks for their basic needs.

"The work done by our local churches, volunteers and the Trussell Trust is vital in feeding the hundreds of hungry people, including children, in our borough."