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A leading councillor has cited an example of someone "turning up in a Range Rover" to pick up a food parcel as evidence of how working families are suffering from rising levels of poverty.

Hartlepool Borough Council chiefs said latest figures show 39% of children in the town live in poverty, equating to an average of 13 young people in a classroom of 30.

It came as officers presented the final report of a scrutiny investigation into child and family poverty in Hartlepool by the council's audit and governance committee over the past 12 months.

Councillor Rob Cook, the committee’s chair, said the level of poverty in Hartlepool was "frightening", adding it would have increased since their work began.

Councillor Rob Cook has cited an example of a Range Rover driver turning up at a Hartlepool food bank with a valid food voucher.

He said: “It’s not people who are totally unemployed, people who are actually in full-time employment still go to these food banks.

"This guy turned up in a Range Rover and he pulled up and he joined the queue to get a food parcel and he had a voucher.

"They were still struggling, so that was the reason why he was there. It's just heartbreaking."

Speaking at the committee’s latest meeting, he added there will be children who are "going to have nothing whatsoever" this Christmas.

Penny Thompson, council head of housing, hardship and welfare services, who has been working to help tackle poverty for more than two decades, said the issue "gets worse every year".

She added: "This is not about benefit relying families, this is about all different types of families for many, many different reasons."

Recommendations from the investigation include building on the "exceptional work" already carried out to focus more on prevention.

'Just heartbreaking' - Even Range Rover drivers are turning to Hartlepool food banks for help