MORE than 1,500 desperate people have been forced to rely on emergency parcels from Inverclyde Foodbank in the last six months.

The shocking figures include over 350 families with children who needed three-day supplies.

Local politicians today raised their concerns over the statistics released by the Trussell Trust.

The SNP’s Stuart McMillan believes they highlight a crisis which is driven by controversial changes to the welfare system.

MSP Mr McMillan said: “These figures are alarming.

“They represent 1,567 occasions where people in Inverclyde were in such dire straits that they could not afford to eat.

“On almost 365 occasions this happened to a family with children.”

The Trussell Trust says that foodbank use in Inverclyde and Scotland is on the rise.

Over 60,000 people needed help nationally, a rise of 17 per cent on the same period last year, and 44 per cent of these cases were due to benefit delays and changes.

Mr McMillan said: “The figures also show that UK Government benefit changes and delays continue to be the most common reason for people seeking emergency food aid.

“While Tory ministers have their head in the sand on the issue, the Scottish Government recognises this link and is spending almost £300 million over three years to mitigate Tory social security cuts.

“That any government would consider further cuts to the incomes of the poorest families in our society in the face of such clear evidence of rising poverty is appalling.

“Yet Chancellor George Osborne is set to plough ahead with £12 billion more social security cuts.”

Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan fears that food poverty in the district will only deepen in light of Westminster plans to cut tax credits.

He believes this is bound to cause more misery for poor people in the community and says there must be an urgent policy u-turn.

Mr Cowan, left, told the Tele: “The figures published by the Trussell Trust highlight a continued increase in foodbank usage, which is worrying.

“These new figures put further pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to scrap his planned cuts to tax credits, as the policy only serves to punish the most vulnerable in our society.”