Poverty is on the rise among families in the UK, with a third of households with a child aged under five affected, research has shown.

A report by the Nuffield Foundation found that 36 percent of families with a young child were living on well below the average income after housing costs last year, up from 30 percent in 2014. Among larger families the problem was even greater, and worsening more rapidly, the analysis concluded.

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The report found families were at greater risk of poverty if:

· They were from an ethnic minority background

· They or their parents were disabled

· They lived in the northeast of England or London

The figures mean that around 2.2 million children are living in relative poverty – defined as lower than 60 percent of the median income. This can result in a negative impact on emotional, physical and cognitive development, according to the report's authors.

The study, based on an analysis of 100 pieces of research, found a range of factors had contributed to the worsening situation, including rising housing costs, less secure employment and reductions in government support.

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