Millions find it harder to put food on the table as low wages, welfare cuts and high cost of living take their toll

An "alarming" 78% rise in food bank inquiries has taken place over the last six months, as people with jobs start using them to provide emergency supplies until their next pay day.

The figures from Citizens Advice will raise serious concerns that more people are sliding towards the poverty line and are finding it difficult to feed themselves. They reveal significant regional disparities in demand for information about food bank services in England and Wales, suggesting certain parts of the country are suffering considerably more than others.

The charity said the worst affected area was the West Midlands, where there had been a 142% increase in inquiries – 779 in total – since February. The figures show a rise in inquiries about food banks in Citizens Advice bureaux in almost every region of the country.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of the charity said: "Food banks have no place in modern Britain. Millions of families are facing a perfect storm of pressures on their budgets. The combined impact of welfare upheaval, cuts to public spending, low wages and the high cost of living are putting unbearable pressure on many households, forcing them to seek emergency help putting food on the table."

Guy said that the rise in food bank inquiries in the past six months showed that, despite falling unemployment, millions were still experiencing financial difficulties.

There are concerns that people have ransacked their savings to tide themselves over and are now running out of financial options. A YouGov survey, commissioned by Citizens Advice, revealed that more than half of those on low incomes have raided their savings accounts in the last six months to meet basic living costs.

More than a third – 37% – of respondents on low incomes said they had no savings to turn to in an emergency.

Now, for the first time, the charity has warned that its bureaux are beginning to see people in employment seeking emergency food supplies. Even affluent parts of the country have experienced greater demand for food banks.

"Ministers will be particularly concerned that I am getting reports from our bureaux of working families being forced to turn to food banks," Guy said. "In our Solihull office, staff say they are giving out food parcels on average once every two days. Many working people struggle to pay bills and pay for food in the few days before pay day and are forced to seek emergency help."

There are concerns that further changes to the benefit system will place greater demands on food banks. In the future, people on benefits will receive their payments on a monthly basis, sparking concerns that they may struggle to manage their budgets.

"At Citizens Advice we are particularly concerned that many people will struggle to budget with monthly benefit payments," Guy said. "Nine out of 10 people told our bureaux they are not prepared for universal credit. Giving these people the support they need to budget effectively and the option of receiving temporary fortnightly payments will be vital to avoiding a further increase in food banks."

Emma Cook, acting CEO of Birmingham CAB, said that many parts of the West Midlands, including Birmingham, were home to "some of the most deprived areas of the country" and had high levels of child poverty and unemployment.

"Our statistics show that in July, the number of inquiries about food banks peaked," Cook said. "They were double compared to other months."

More working families are seeing a fall in wages, Cook warned. "It is likely that the use of food banks is only going to increase," she said.