THERE are 15,637 children living in poverty in Dorset.

That is the claim by a new report published by The Children's Society which argues that debt, homelessness and Government cuts are all to blame for producing 'children in need' across the county.

Of the 77,234 children living in Dorset, around 2,687 of those are categorised as 'children in need'.

Five hundred and seventeen of those are aged 16 or 17.

The report, Children's Lives in Dorset, estimates that in 2014 1,130 children aged 16-17-years-old in the South West were homeless.

"Teenagers are often at serious risk of harm and can be escaping homes where they face problems such as substance abuse, violence or severe overcrowding," the report states.

It also states that the Government allocated £12,094,520 in early intervention funding to Dorset County Council in 2016/17 - a reduction of £5,001,678 (or 41 per cent) compared to 2010.

The report adds: "This massive reduction means local authorities are less able to address the problems experienced by children and families at an early stage. Children suffer harm that could have been prevented and the state is faced with greater costs as they are forced to deal with more entrenched, serious and expensive problems at a later date.

"It is unacceptable that any child in the UK is living in poverty, let alone more than 3.9 million.

"Increasingly, children who are in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is in work. Poverty has a devastating effect on children, harming their immediate well-being and drastically reducing opportunities throughout their lives."

Debt Trap research carried out by the charity showed that in 2014/15 there were 8,108 children living in families in council tax debt.

And their Show Some Warmth report found that there are an estimated 13,137 children living in energy debt. This report claims that families living in energy debt are three times more likely to have damp or mould in their houses which have subsequently been linked to breathing problems.