THOUSANDS of emergency food parcels were handed out in Wrexham and Flintshire in recent months, new figures show.

Food bank network Trussell said the number of people still facing hunger and hardship across the UK remains "heartbreaking".

The charity reported handing out 5,032 emergency food parcels from 10 food banks in Wrexham between April and September.

It was down from 5,152 parcels during the same period in 2023, but an increase from 2,765 five-years-ago.

 In Flintshire, the charity reported handing out 4,555 emergency food parcels from nine food banks between April and September.

It was down from 5,425 parcels during the same period in 2023, but an increase from 3,278 five years ago.

Of the parcels, 508,000 were provided for children facing hunger across the UK. This included 1,566 in Wrexham and 1,884 in Flintshire.

The charity reported its community of food banks gave out just over 1.4 million emergency food parcels across the UK between April and September this year.

Trussell said possible reasons for the slight dip in demand this year could include a "gradual slowdown" in rising food and energy costs, as well as the Local Housing Allowance being unfrozen in April.

She added: "This cannot go on and we refuse to stand by while so many of us are pushed to the brink, left without enough money to live on.

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"Our food banks are a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and space to be heard. They need everyone to play their part to move us towards ending the need for emergency food in the UK."

The charity said the majority of food parcels (63%) were distributed to families with children.

A government spokesperson said: "The mass dependence on food banks is unacceptable – that’s why we’ve extended the Household Support Fund again to help struggling families with the cost of essentials.

"Alongside this, we are increasing the National Living Wage, uprating benefits and helping over 1 million households by introducing a fair repayment rate on Universal Credit deductions, while our Child Poverty Taskforce develops an ambitious strategy to give all children the best start in life."