POOLE has been named in a report highlighting 'hidden' poverty blackspots in the UK.

According to research from the grant-giving charity, Buttle UK, Borough of Poole is one of the top five places in the south west where applications are made for emergency grants.

The report, Crisis Points, showed that nearly two in every 100 families in the south west have applied for a Buttle UK emergency grant.

Poole came third on the list, with an average of 2.1 applications per 100 families, behind West Somerset (2.4) and Bristol (2.9).

Meanwhile, the New Forest also featured in the paper - among a list of southern local authority areas identified as having many residents in crisis who don't apply for emergency funding.

Buttle UK chief executive Gerri McAndrew said: "In undertaking this level of analysis and extrapolation on 10 years of our data, we have produced information that has never been collected or collated before - data that normally sits in silos within official records.

"Crisis Points shows us that there are worrying gaps around the country where children in often desperate situations are not having their needs met.

"We are determined to highlight these areas where vulnerable families and children are under the radar so we can reach them and enable them to achieve their potential by having the essentials in place."

The analysis by Mayhew Harper Associates compared the most common factors appearing in Buttle UK grant applications and then used corresponding official data to compare predicted levels of applications with actual numbers.

While the data points to the UK's northern cities being home to the highest numbers of vulnerable children and families, it also suggests many areas of hidden poverty.

These areas of hidden poverty are largely based in unexpected areas such as southern counties including Hampshire, as well as coastal towns such as Poole.

Professor Les Mayhew, managing director of Mayhew Harper Associates, said: "It is the first time that such data has been compiled and analysed in one place and provides immense insight which can be used in many ways - not least for targeting need, spotting emergent social issues or trends, or testing associations between risk factors such as child neglect, drug and alcohol abuse and poverty."

Almost two in every three families receiving Buttle UK grants survive on less than £10,000 a year excluding benefits, with most having an annual income of between £6,000 and £13,000 a year.

Visit buttleuk.org/research/crisis-points-report to view the report.