MORE people are paid below the Living Wage in West Somerset than anywhere else in the country, according to a shocking new report.

In 2014, nearly half (42.9%) of all workers in the district were paid under £7.65 an hour, which is the current national Living Wage, defined as “high enough to maintain a normal standard of living”.

The figures were published as part of a report by the GMB union. Unlike the minimum wage it is not illegal to pay people under the Living Wage.

Rhys Moore, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Last year, it was reported that for the first time more than half of those people living in poverty in the UK were also in work.

“As the cost of living has increased wages just haven’t kept pace and many workers have endured pay freezes.

“It’s shocking that hard-working people are finding that they have to choose between switching the heating on or doing a food shop.

“The Living Wage isn’t about luxuries – it’s a robust calculation which reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.

“Those who can pay it should.”

The worrying data seems to be supported by the latest figures from the West Somerset Food Cupboard, which has doubled the number of parcels it hands out to hard-up people in the past year.

Christine Payne, co-ordinator of the Food Cupboard, set up in 2007 to ensure that people struggling financially have enough to eat, said: “In this area many jobs are in the tourism industry and those jobs don’t tend to pay well.

“So far this year we’ve sent out 211 food boxes, which is twice the number we delivered this time last year.

“Many families receiving the boxes are working families, and people assume that if someone’s working they have a stable financial situation, but that’s not the case.

“I put this down to stagnant wages which just can’t match the increasing cost of living.”

West Somerset Council hopes the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station will bring jobs to the area.

A spokesman said: “The proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C will offer very valuable new opportunities for our community through direct employment and the supply chain.”