Worst areas for child poverty are in London

A "child poverty map" exposes the UK's most stricken areas today, as campaigners warn that cuts targeted at families will lead to an "economic and a social disaster".

The Campaign to End Child Poverty names Tower Hamlets in east London as the local authority worst affected, with more than half (52 per cent) of children there living in poverty, compared with the UK average of one in five.

London features heavily in the survey, with Islington, Hackney, Westminster and Camden all making the top 10 of local authority areas with the biggest proportions of child poverty.

At least four in 10 children are in poverty in 19 parliamentary constituencies, the report finds, while "serious concentrations" of deprivation are revealed at an even more local level, with between 50 and 70 per cent of children facing poverty in 100 local wards.

Bethnal Green and Bow is named as the worst parliamentary constituency for child poverty – while David Cameron's Witney constituency and Nick Clegg's Sheffield Hallam constituency make the top 20 lowest child-poverty levels list.

The report says 89 constituencies have already met the Government's headline target for 2020 by having child poverty rates of 10 per cent or less.

Campaign executive director Alison Garnham said: "The map paints a stark picture of a Britain where the life chances of millions of children are damaged by poverty and inequality."