RESIDENTS and charity leaders have spoken of their horror after seeing starving children scavenging through bins for food.
Youngsters have been searching through bins in the Hollings Street and
Brocksford Street area of Fenton before eating any leftovers.
Concerned residents have raised the issue at a police meeting in Fenton.
Jade Poynton, aged 38, of Fenton, said: "My nan lives in Brocksford
Street and there have been a couple of times when she has heard the bin
lid slam against the window and seen people having a look through the
bags. It was children and she has seen the same ones doing the same
thing down the street and eating bits of food they find.
"There are also adults picking up fag ends and smoking them too. I don't
know if they are desperate or just trying to see what they can find.
"It is terrible there are families around here that are so hungry they have to go through people's bins."
Rachel Allen, aged 26, of Hollings Street, said: "It is horrible to see
and it's happening to lots of people particularly in lower Hollings
Street and the Brocksford Street area.
"Some days on the school run we have had to actually cross over the road
because there's so much rubbish on the pavement because of this.
"Luckily I keep my bins to one side so we haven't been too badly
affected. But it's a real problem that people in this area are really
concerned about."
Dozens of hungry families are referred to Fenton's foodbank for help
every week. The foodbank is at Temple Street Methodist Church.
Foodbank volunteer Glenn Parkes, aged 58, who lives in Temple Street,
said: "We have a lot of referrals to the foodbank and around half of
those are for families who need to feed their children.
"I spotted a guy going through the bins outside a shop near where I live
recently. We had a chat and he was a nice, well spoken guy with some
troubles who simply couldn't afford food.
"I really would encourage any families in this situation to seek help."
More than 20,000 people have received emergency food parcels from Stoke-on-Trent's 10 foodbanks since May 2012.
Meanwhile, the Citizens Advice Bureau can also help to make sure people are receiving the right benefits.
Stoke-on-Trent CAB chief executive Simon Harris said: "We are seeing
increasing numbers of people who are exhausting their short-term
resources. There are some people who find their income is erratic and
low, who are struggling to cope with cuts to benefits and support
services, who are getting behind on their bills and are at risk of
losing their homes and we see this all the time.
"We tend not to see the side of things where people are having to resort
to rummaging through bins, but it's usually the same root cause."
Police are now trying to trace the families rifling through the bins looking for food.
Sergeant Jason Allport, of Staffordshire Police, said: "The issue isn't a
theft, it's children going around not having enough clothing and food.
"It's a safeguarding issue to make sure that when we have foodbanks and
charity shops that are full of clothes that we shouldn't have children
trying to survive in this way.
"Some of the people who have reported this are saying they are taking food.
"That issue is really something for social services to look at."
Stoke Sentinel
