MANAGERS running Droitwich's Food Bank say they have seen a "huge increase" in service users in the last three months.

The Food Bank, which is currently run out of the Old Library, has seen a "significant increase" in services users, and will soon be moving to a new location to help the volunteers better meet demand.

The food bank set up in the town in July 2014 and since then, two sessions have run each week, feeding almost 1,000 people.

Meg Richards, deputy project leader with the scheme, said there could be various reasons for the rise in demand.

"In the last three months we have seen a significant increase in people using the food bank," she said.

"This is just down to people finding themselves in bad situations and needing help. It could be that they have fallen ill, there have been changes with their benefits or delays in benefits. We get young people who have been in care, who have turned 18 and been told 'that's it'. They are put in a bed and breakfast, but often they have got no job and no food."

Between July 2014 and March 2015, the food bank fed 512 people. In just five months, from April 2015 to mid-September, the food bank has fed 436 people, averaging around 100 people per month.

From November the food bank will be moving to the Droitwich Baptist Church, on Ombersley Road East, and Mrs Richards says this will make a big difference.

"The Old Library has been great but we really need more space. The church will provide this, as well as a more private place for service users to come.

"None of the volunteers enjoy the fact that we have to be there. It's terrible that we need a food bank at all in this day and age, and we don't enjoy that. But it is absolutely wonderful to work within a town like Droitwich, where the community is so incredibly helpful and caring. It's only just come up to harvest season but we have already had some kind donations that will help us immensely."

The food bank is always in need of donations of food or cash, and is especially in need of long-life milk and juice.

Food can be donated at several drop off points in the town, including Waitrose, Barclays bank, churches, Lloyds bank and the Shelter charity shop.