AROUND 37,000 children in Lancashire are growing up in ‘severe’ poverty, according to new figures released by a leading charity.

Save the Children has found that these youngster have no proper heating, are not eating a proper meal on a regular basis and do not have proper school uniforms.

14 per cent are living in poor conditions in Lancashire, which equates to about 31,000 children.

In Blackburn with Darwen, 18 per cent, or 6,000 children, live this way.

The charity found Manchester and the London borough of Tower Hamlets have the highest proportion, with 27%.

It also found that Liverpool has 23% and Blackpool has 22%.

The charity has defined families in poverty as either a lone-parent family with one child aged under 14 living on an income of less than £7,000 or a couple with two children under 14 surviving on less than £12,500.

Save the Children is calling on the government to set up an emergency plan to help tackle the problem and warns that the problem could get worse with rising unemployment and cuts are being made to services.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “Even one child in such poverty is one child too many.

“I would like a breakdown of the survey as the overall figures seem surprising.

“If children’s parents are on benefits they are for example entitled to school uniform grants.

“The benefit system Labour left in place, which has not yet been dismantled, provides adequate support especially in areas where housing is less expensive.

“As far as cuts, Save the Children is right.

"Whether the numbers are right or wrong there is no question these cuts are unnnecessary and do not help the the most in need. ”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: “I think children in poverty is a particular problem we are facing here.

“We have seen the numbers rise steady over recent years despite a number of government initiatives to ease the problem.

“The government needs to work closely with charities such as Save the Children and other organisations to see how they can address the issues to ensure the children have the best start in life as possible.”

Sally Copley, Save the Children's head of UK policy, said: "Children up and down the country are going to sleep at night in homes with no heating, without eating a proper meal and without proper school uniforms to put on in the morning.

“No child should be born without a chance. It is a national scandal that 1.6 million children are growing up in severe poverty."

A Government spokesman said: "We are fully committed to the goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020 and will set out the Government's first strategy on how to do this in March."

Child poverty hotspots

Here is a list of the 10 areas in the UK rated as having the highest levels of severe child poverty.

1. Manchester (27%)
1. Tower Hamlets (27%)
3. Newham (25%)
4. Leicester (24%)
5. Westminster (24%)
6. Nottingham (23%)
7. Liverpool (23%)
8. Birmingham (23%)
9. Blackpool (22%)
10. Hackney (22%)