A single mum-of-four who has been skipping meals and living off her children's leftovers says she won’t be able to afford Christmas this year.
Victoria Walker, from Bath, has been relying on cups of tea and coffee to fill up throughout the day and rarely turns on the heating as food prices and energy bills continue to soar.
She told ITV News : “Unless I really have to, I’ll eat. But I fill myself up with tea and coffee in the daytime.
“I would like the children to eat, and if they leave any leftovers, I tend to have the leftovers.
The mum says her 11-year-old daughter has even offered her own pocket money to cover food essentials like bread and milk.
She added: "It just makes me sad. It breaks my heart. Christmas is looking sad for me. I can't afford Christmas."
The family have been receiving support from Action for Children, a charity that exists to support vulnerable families across the UK.
Former TV personality Lydia Bright, who starred in ITV's The Only Way is Essex, campaigns for the charity and says more needs to be done.
She told ITV : "It's important for us to open our eyes to the problems that are happening on our doorstep.
"Sometimes when we think of poverty we don't always think it's happening in the UK but child poverty is so prominent now more than ever and it's heartbreaking that it's happening in a country like ours."
Victoria has also resorted to visiting her local community pantry in an effort to help feed her family.
Volunteers at the centre say they are regularly shocked by the level of poverty they're seeing.
One said: "People are really living hand to mouth at the moment, for many of our families.
"It's not just those on benefits anymore, it's families in work. We've got one mum that holds down three jobs and she's still worried about feeding her children."
A recent Action for Children survey found that 98% of parents were worried about money whilst 22% of working parents fear they won't be able to buy their loved ones any Christmas presents this year.
It also found that 21% of children in the Southwest will offer their gifts or pocket money to help cover the cost of the festive season.
Helen Stockwell, who works for the charity says she's never seen anything like it.
She said: "I have families who can't get coats for the children and can't afford to keep their children warm. People are genuinely worried really worried about what's coming."
