Coronavirus: 1.5 million go hungry as job losses and supermarket strain hits those at risk, poll suggests
The poll suggested some 1.5 million Brits have skipped meals since the lockdown was introduced

More than a million Brits have reported going a whole day without food since the UK went into lockdown.

In a poll conducted by YouGov for the Food Foundation and FFCC (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission), some 1.5 million said they skipped meals because there wasn’t enough in their fridges and cupboards.

The survey also showed that six percent of respondents – equivalent to three million people across the country – reported someone in their household going hungry since the social distancing regime was implemented.

Meanwhile, more than a million people said they had lost their income as a result of the lockdown with more than a third of those believing they are not entitled to government assistance.

Of the one million who said they had lost all of their income, a third do no not think they are entitled to any government help (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The figures come as food banks report a surge in use, and weeks after panic buyers stripped supermarket shelves of vital everyday necessities, the Guardian reports.

The Food Foundation called on the government to support councils ‘to scale up the food response for those who are self-isolating so they can secure enough food to sustain themselves and their children’.

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Local authorities told the newspaper that the findings mirrored events on the frontline.

Liverpool reported a 150% increase in emergency grants to residents without money to pay the bills during the crisis.

Authorities in Liverpool reported a 150% rise in emergency payouts to people with no money to pay the bills (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

Its food banks have extended their opening hours and handed out hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of essentials to needy families over the past week alone.

A government spokesperson said: ‘Public safety and making sure that those most at risk from the virus get the support they need is our top priority. People should stay at home, to help protect our NHS and save lives.

‘We’re working with the groceries industry, local government, local resilience and emergency partners to ensure essential items are delivered as soon as possible to the most vulnerable.’

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