A VITAL foodbank has seen demand rise by nearly 70 per cent when compared to figures recorded over a six-month period last year.

The Clacton Foodbank, in Old Road, is run by the Trussell Trust, which has just published a damning document of data relating to its two distribution sites.

The organisation’s latest findings conclude there were 1,599 food parcels distributed to people in need between April and September this year.

A total 1,073 of these were given to adults, while the remaining 526 packaged had to be handed out to children who may have otherwise gone hungry.

Shockingly, these figures mark a 69 per cent increase on the number of food parcels which were given out over the same period in 2019.

The number of packages delivered to adults, for example, was only 567, while 379 had to be distributed to children.

The increase in figures could be a direct reflection of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on thousands of families across the district and the region.

Throughout the east of England, there has been a staggering 115,380 food parcels given out between April and September, more than 32,000 more than last year.