Edmonton MP Andy Love has been handing out hampers to families in need of food this Christmas.

Donated to him by ASDA in Edmonton Green, Mr Love attended the Edmonton Foodbank Christmas Party in Church Steet on Saturday, December 21.

The charity helps give handouts to families who are in dire need of food – something which is cause for concern in the area.

Nearly half the households in Edmonton are worried about their level of debt with 12,000 households having to borrow money last month in order to pay for a household bill, food or housing, according to figures by Which?

Mr Love said: “Too many people have been brought to a level of severe hardship where they are having to rely on food handouts to live.  Not being able to afford Christmas dinner is not limited to the pages of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, it is reality for a growing number of families in Edmonton, London and across the country and that is quite frankly shameful.

“I was only too happy to donate to the foodbank collection in Parliament and give out the Asda hampers to local families in Edmonton as I know they will make a huge difference to the recipients, but the very fact that people are turning to foodbank charities and other donations to get by shows that the Government is failing to deal with the cost of living crisis.

“Without real measures to freeze energy prices, introduce a water affordability scheme, tackle the misuse of zero hours contracts, push towards living wages for all, tackle the cost of childcare and much more then there is no way for people to escape this downward cycle.  How many more people need to reach the point of needing emergency handouts from foodbanks before the Government acts?”