More than 7,500 children are living in poverty in Wycombe, new figures have revealed.

The End Child Poverty coalition this week published new statistics, which found that there are parts of the south east where more than a quarter of children are growing up in poverty - compared to one in ten in areas in the south east with the lowest child poverty rates.

Across the Buckinghamshire local authority area, there are 7,628 children living below the poverty line in Wycombe, closely followed by 7,103 in Aylesbury Vale.

Meanwhile in Chiltern, there are 2,895 and in South Bucks – which boasts some of the most expensive addresses in the UK – there are 1,982 children in poverty.

Elsewhere in the county, Milton Keynes has been identified as a part of the south east with one of the highest percentage of children living in poverty, with 25.5 per cent – 16,645 young people.

As price rises risk pushing more children below the poverty line, the coalition is calling on the Chancellor to end the freeze on children's benefits - currently in place until the end of the decade - so that families no longer see living standards squeezed as prices rise.

In response to the new figures, Bucks County Council said safeguarding the most vulnerable members of the community is one of its “key strategic aims” and is working hard to ensure staff are “doing [their] utmost to help our most needy families”.

A spokesman said: “We have a number of initiatives specifically aimed at helping and supporting vulnerable families. One of the most successful ways we are tackling the issue is through our community wellbeing programme which operates in Aylesbury, Chesham and High Wycombe.

“We run a hugely popular and successful structured course specifically for lone parents on benefits to help them take steps to find employment.

“The course helps with empowering them to get back on their feet, decreasing their social isolation and improving the life outcomes for both them and their children.”

A Wycombe District Council spokesman said that while Bucks districts are performing well in terms of the rest of the country, they are “not resting on our laurels”.

They said: “Despite being among the best performing council areas, we are actively working to improve the outlook for some of our most disadvantaged young people.

“One recent example is where Wycombe District Council has given £60,000 to Wycombe Youth Action group to run a youth mentoring project which helps give young people help and support in making positive life choices.”