Nearly 200,000 children from the lowest income families have seen their parents’ income fall as a result of the Government’s new lower benefits cap, statistics have revealed.

Figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions have been described by charities as “deeply worrying” after showing that 93 per cent of households hit by the cap had children living in them.

More than half the families hit by the cap, which limits the amount of benefits payable to unemployed households, will see a reduction of more than £50 a week, while around 13 per cent will lose between £100 and £150 a week.

The cap was lowered from £26,000 nationally to £23,000 in London and £20,000 elsewhere in the UK in November 2016 as part of a Government drive to reduce the deficit but critics claim it unfairly targets some of the poorest and most vulnerable households in society.

Nearly three-quarters of those hit by the cap are single-parent households, and three-quarters of these had a child aged under five. Almost one in six single parents who saw their benefits capped had a child aged under one.

More than 130,000 households had their benefits capped between April 2013 and February 2017, with the implementation of a new, lower cap last November seeing a sharp increase in the past six months.

The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 1 /16 The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there" Getty The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" Getty Images

Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “It is deeply worrying to see that hundreds of thousands of children have been hit by the new benefit cap, cutting the money needed to keep a roof over their heads.

“Our concern is that this will only worsen child poverty, which is already set to balloon to 5 million by the end of the decade. While we think it’s right that work pays, it is children who are bearing the brunt of the cap.”

A statement from the DWP said: “Since the benefit cap was introduced, around 29,000 households who previously had their benefits capped have moved into work – an increase of 3,000 in the last quarter. Anyone eligible for working tax credits, carer’s allowance, and most disability benefits are exempt from the cap.”

The Government has claimed the cap is designed to encourage people to find work and ensure that workless households cannot earn more than those in employment, but analysis of the figures reveals the majority of those hit by the cap are either unable to work on health grounds or are not required to work because they have young children.

Only 16 per cent of those capped were in receipt of Jobseekers’ Allowance, meaning that they were actively seeking work. One in six were claiming Employment Support Allowance, awarded to those assessed as unfit for work.

The overwhelming majority at four in five households were exempt from seeking work because they had a child aged under five.

Former Chancellor George Osborne lowered the cap in 2016, saying: “It is not fair that people out of work can earn more than people in work.”

The policy has been described as “cruel” by charities including the Child Poverty Action Group.