More than 7,000 children are living ‘in poverty’ in Shropshire, according to a report from health care experts.

Professor Rod Thompson director of public health at Shropshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) reported that 7,450 children in the region were on the breadline.

The health report also revealed that life expectancy for men living in the most deprived areas of the county was 6.5 years lower than in the least deprived areas.

Women could expect to live 3.4 years less in deprived areas.

Poverty is defined as those families who receive out of work benefits or in-work tax credits whose reported income is 60 per cent less than the average.

Mr Thompson reported that the areas in the county with the highest deprivation could be found in parts of Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Market Drayton and Ludlow.

Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Worthen and Chirbury said child poverty was a ‘huge’ problem in rural Shropshire but said it was being hidden because people were too proud to come forward.

She said: “I know lots of families are struggling and their children should be getting free school meals.

“It really is an issue in certain primary schools – people do not want to put their heads above the parapet and ask for help.”

Earlier this year national charity End Child Poverty revealed that 14 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds in Shrewsbury and Atcham were living in poverty.

The report went on to reveal that a quarter of children in the Harlescott ward of Shrewsbury were living in poverty, while 20 per cent of children in Battlefield and Heathgates were facing tough times.

But Shrewsbury town councillor for Harlescott, Ioan Jones, said everyone was facing a hard time at the moment not just in Harlescott.

He said: “Everyone is struggling in the present economic climate.

“The amount of children on free school meals in Harlescott is higher than the country average, but everywhere has its problems and Harlescott shouldn’t be singled out. It is a working class area and people are on lower wages.”

Health profiles are produced by the Public Health Observatories in England with funding from the Department of Health.

They are designed to help local government and health services identify problems in their areas and decide how to tackle them.