THE county’s children are bearing the brunt of the recession, it has been claimed.

Department for Children, Schools and Families figures show more Essex children are claiming free school meals now than two years ago.

A total of 9,652 nursery and primary school children in the county – 8 per cent of those schools’ rolls – are now taking up free meals, 522 more than in 2007. A further 5,780 secondary school-age children are claiming free meals, compared to 5,430 two years ago.

Neera Sharma, of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said: “The figures are a strong indicator of the extent to which children are bearing the brunt of the recession.

“More children are falling below the poverty line, as parents lose their jobs and others struggle to keep their heads above water, trying to cope with the cost of living. At the last count, four million children were below the breadline.”

Jacquie Russell, service manager for the Ormiston Children’s Centres, based in St Anne’s and New Town wards in Colchester, said: “We mostly deal with families with children aged under five, but our services stretch to the whole family.

“We offer signposting, so people can find out about what benefits they are entitled to, but I don’t know if the number of people has increased. We have a JobCentre Plus worker who comes in regularly to give people help if they need it.”