Ham and Richmond have been identified as the most likely areas in the borough to find children living in poverty – with the proportion rising to 40 per cent in the worst-affected areas.

Last week Richmond Council’s Local Safeguarding Children Board published their annual report, which appraised its performance while highlighting its challenges.

Although the report praised the safety, health and domestic abuse rate – which compare favourably to the rest of London – it identified small areas of deprivation within the borough.

And Richmond borough was found to have the highest proportion of ‘regular drinkers’ at age 15 in the whole of Greater London.

It read: “A child is more likely to be living in poverty in Ham and Richmond – in some areas 40% of children are living in poverty.

“In some areas in Richmond 10% of children receive free schools meals; approximately a third of children are in receipt of free schools meals at the end of the reception year in primary school.”

However Richmond Council argued this may be because of a government initiative to introduce universal free school meals for all children aged between five and eight.

It said: “In Richmond, with the support of our local schools, over the past few years we have created a system for matching those pupils who are eligible for traditional free school meals.

“This has resulted in a big increase in the number of children who have accepted them.

“Many people have different reasons for not applying.

“Locally, only 12 per cent of primary schools pupils have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, compared to a national average of 25 per cent.

“In secondary schools, only 22 per cent compared to 29 per cent nationally.

“The Council and local schools work hard to promote free school meals to all those who are eligible. We will continue to work hard to promote them.”

The report also said black children were almost four times more likely to be eligible for a free school meal than a white child.

There has also been a rise in family homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation in recent years, and a quarter of women in the borough – about 17,599 people – will suffer domestic and sexual abuse from the age of 16.

It also read: “At 15, a quarter of young people in Richmond say that they will have been drunk in the last four weeks, almost a fifth say they will have tried cannabis and about a sixth say they smoke cigarettes regularly.

“12 per cent say they have been bullied in the last month, and 15 per cent have reported low life satisfaction. These are some of the highest figures in London.”