Families struggling to buy basic food items in Borehamwood could be offered a helping hand thanks to a new food bank.

The initiative comes after a report showed that a number of people in the borough, including those with jobs, have to choose between paying the bills and eating.

The pilot bank will be set up by strategic partnership Hertsmere Together, who are teaming up with Hertsmere Forum of Faiths and the Trussell Trust.

It will provide non-perishable food such as soup, pasta, rice and tinned meat and fruit.

Hertsmere Together, co-ordinated by Hertsmere Borough Council, agreed to set aside £3,500 to start the project after the report by Community Action Hertsmere said there was a “clear and immediate need” for a food bank.

Anyone who has been identified as in need by frontline officials such as social workers and health visitors will be offered a voucher which they will be able to exchange for a bag of food.

The bags will contain enough food for a minimum of three days, and will be distributed from easy-to-access venues such as community centres or church halls.

The pilot food bank, which organisers hope to launch later this year, will be set up in churches, synagogues and other places of worship in the borough.

But the success of the project, which organisers hope to launch later this year, will depend on public goodwill and participation.