NEARLY 20,000 food packages were given out in Gwent last year, as the use of Welsh food banks stays at "record levels".

People across Gwent's five local authority areas received 19,777 food parcels from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016.

Of those, 7,410 food packages were given to children in Gwent.

People in Caerphilly received the most food parcels with 5,601 handed out while Newport had the lowest number at 2,416.

Monmouthshire had 2,916, Blaenau Gwent had 3,578 and Torfaen had 5,266.

The figures, from charity the Trussell Trust, are published today. They said their new data mapping tool has given a "fresh insight" into UK hunger.

Across the whole of the UK, the Trussell Trust said there was a 2 per cent increase in three-day supplies provided to people from its network of 424 food banks in the 2015/16 financial year.

More than 415,000 went to children, while on average people were referred to food banks twice in the past year.

Almost half of food banks said there had been an increase in the number of people needing emergency supplies because of benefit sanctions, while other problems included low wages, high living costs or insecure work contracts.

In Wales, 85,656 three-day food packages were given out, compared to 85,875 the year before.

The trust said a million emergency food supplies a year must not become the "new normal".

Trust chief executive David McAuley said: "Today's figures on national food bank use prove that the numbers of people hitting a crisis where they cannot afford to buy food are still far too high.

"One million three-day food supplies given out by our food banks every year is one million too many.

"Reducing UK hunger will require a collective effort from the voluntary sector, Government, businesses and the public, and the Trussell Trust is keen to work with all these groups to find solutions that stop so many people needing food banks in future."

The report said there was a clear link between food bank use and areas of high deprivation.

More than 40,000 volunteers helped at food banks in the past year and the public donated over 10,500 tonnes of food.

Most of the trust's food banks also offer legal and welfare advice, housing support and clothes.

The trust said its figures do not reveal the full scale of food poverty in the UK because other groups also offer food aid.

A UK government spokesman said: "Reasons for foodbank use are complex so it is misleading to link them to any one thing.

"This government is determined to move to a higher-wage society, introducing the new National Living Wage that will benefit over one million workers directly this year, and we're also spending £80 billion on working-age benefits to ensure a strong safety net for those who need it most.

"The vast majority of benefits are processed on time and the number of sanctions have actually gone down."