A FIFTH of children in Barrow are living in relative poverty, new figures show.

Department for Work and Pensions figures show 2,232 children in Barrow were living in relative poverty in the year ending April 2022.

It meant 19.4 per cent of children in the area were in a family whose income was below 60 per cent of average household income and claimed child benefit and at least one other household benefit.

Of these children, 1,463 were in absolute poverty as their family's income was lower than 60 per cent of the median income established in 2010-2011 – accounting for (12.7 per cent) of kids in the area.

Overall, it was up from 18.1 per cent of children who were living in poverty in 2020-21 and up from 17.4 per cent seen in 2014-15 when comparable records began.

Across the UK, 2.47 million children (20.1 per cent) were in relative poverty and 1.89 million children (15.3 per cent) were in absolute poverty.

About 18.7 per cent of children were in relative poverty and 15.1 per cent in absolute poverty the year before.

The government said that the latest figures reflected "the country coming out of the pandemic and accompanying record prices."