Nearly half of children living in Ilford South are living in poverty according to new figures from a children’s welfare organisation.

According to figures from End Child Poverty (ECP), 46.9per cent of children in the parliamentary constituency are living in poverty, placing it in the top 25 constituencies in Britain with the highest levels of child poverty.

Elsewhere in the borough, 32pc of children in Ilford North are living in poverty, 29pc in Chingford and Woodford Green, and 36pc in Leyton and Wanstead.

The figures also provide a breakdown of poverty rates for each ward in Redbridge.

Overall, 30,805 children in Redbridge are living in poverty - 37pc. Rates are highest in Loxford (55pc), Clementswood (54pc) and Newbury (48pc).

Wards with the lowest levels include Monkhams (19pc) and Snaresbrook (20pc).

Households were deemed to be living in poverty if their income was less than 60pc of the median average, and poverty rates were calculated after housing costs.

The constituency of Poplar and Limehouse had the highest levels of child poverty in Britain - 58.5pc.

Anna Feuchtwang, chairwoman of ECP and chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, said: "Even the government's own measures show that child poverty in the UK has been rising steadily since 2013 with measures of absolute child poverty showing a rise for the first time this year. This just isn't right."

Ilford South MP, Mike Gapes, said: "We need to increase the amount of support for families and children, including child care costs. We need to make work pay - where families are working, they need to be paid a higher living wage. And we need to have more housing that is affordable.

"Since 2008 we have seen a big increase in inequality and poverty. We have a scandal with private renting costs in London and people not being able to buy houses. I welcome Redbridge Council's plans to build more affordable housing, but the government needs a plan.

"We need to deal with the housing issue, which is fundamental to child poverty. We need affordable child care - people who are in work find that they are spending huge amounts on child care.

"This should be a wake up call for the country. London is a the richest city in the country, but we have the largest pockets of child poverty. We need to do much more."

Leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Jas Athwal, said: "A decade of austerity has only served to place more children and families in poverty and reduced our ability to support the most vulnerable in our borough.

"Significant reductions in funding means we are now the 29th lowest-funded London borough. Despite this we are doing our very best to protect and maintain the vital services our residents rely on.

"We are supporting our vulnerable children and adults by investing £9.8m of extra money this year and continuing our anti-poverty work, including £6.1m to roll out the London Living Wage to all council contracts and encouraging Redbridge employers to follow suit.

"Our welfare benefits team have also helped vulnerable residents claim £500k in crucial benefits to which they are entitled in the first six months of 2018-19. We are doing our bit but the government needs to step up and do more."