FOODBANK voucher referrals by Citizens Advice York have rocketed 150 per cent since the start of lockdown - with universal credit claims up 200 per cent.

Figures released by Citizens Advice York - outlining figures for the cases it has dealt with - also shows that the overall number of calls to the charity since March 23, when the government first ordered the lockdown, has reached more than 1,700, up from 765 over the same period last year.

A spokesman added that employment-related calls to the charity were up by 1,000 per cent and that “these numbers are set to rise dramatically as time goes on”.

The charity’s communications lead Adam Matthews said it had seen a “huge increase in the number of people contacting them, many after losing jobs or who were on zero-hours contracts”.

The spokesman added: “We are seeing a huge rise in workers needing our service who have not claimed benefits or needed support routinely.

“Our team are trying to help those struggling mentally, emotionally, financially.”

Meanwhile, Citizens Advice for North Yorkshire has seen a 209 per cent increase in calls for emergency assistance during the coronavirus pandemic. It has helped a record number of people access foodbanks and £258,000 in benefits and tax credits in just one month.

Chief executive officer Carol Shreeve said: “These are unprecedented and challenging times for our clients, staff and volunteers.

“The decision to suspend face-to-face services for the foreseeable future to support the Government’s latest guidelines was a very difficult one. Citizens Advice was born out of the crisis at the end of the Second World War and we are now again supporting people to get through difficult times.”

The spokesman added that the figures could rise because people who had been accessing services locally before had not yet used the organisations’ virtual services.

He added that people who were accessing the services locally before the lockdown should contact the charity's ‘outreach workers’, who can be contacted on 03444111444 or by visiting citizensadviceyork.org.uk.

MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, said: “People are experiencing extreme hardship at the moment. Many of the Government rescue schemes are not working properly or are excluding people who are in need of help. It is likely that we will see the financial needs of residents and businesses deepen as we continue with this Covid-19 crisis and this will continue far into the recovery period.

“Labour has asked for discussions about the support that will be needed for the months and years to come, not just days, so people can start to plan for their futures when restrictions are eased at some point in the future, even if this is months away.”