A BENEFITS system roll-out has created more demand for food banks.

Liz Jermy, manager of the Oswestry and Borders Foodbank said that there had been a 52 per cent increase in food bank use across the UK in places where Universal Credit had been rolled-out for more than a year.

Mrs Jermy said that this compared to a 30 per cent increase at Trussell Trust food banks across the UK generally and added: "We're not saying the benefits system shouldn't be revamped but the teething problems that it's causing along the way have been real issues for people."

Mrs Jermy told of support charities and associations as well as Shropshire Council, which gave a grant towards a debt advisor, who provides free advice at the food bank.

Oswestry and Borders Food Bank is also linked to around 50 referral agencies, including schools, housing associations, medical teams, the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Berwyn prison in Wrexham and the police.

She also praised the efforts of 45 volunteers who give their time to the food bank.

But she said that the UK Government was "not as helpful", and added: "Sometimes we feel like we're knocking our heads against a brick wall."

The foodbank, which is located at Beatrice Street, handed out 2,311 three-day food parcels in the 2017/18 financial year and Mrs Jermy said that the building was "chock-a-block" with people because of the time of year.

She said: "We have never run out of the food and the resources we need such as food and money, which is something to be grateful for because people always provide, but because we're getting so many people in the summer, we know that in this period before Harvest we're quite low."