YESTERDAY Newport's Tredegar Park ward was identified as having the highest level of child poverty in Wales. Rhiannon Beacham went out to investigate life on its streets.

IN the poorest council ward in Wales, there is a daily battle to deal with some of the most challenging problems families can face.

With the highest levels of child poverty in Wales - 81.7 per cent - families in Tredegar Park ward, which contains the Duffryn estate, are trying to overcome deprivation, drug use in the area and crime.

One mother-of-three told us: "Living around here is like you've gone to hell, but people won't speak out about it because they're scared of retaliation.

"It would be quicker for me to buy a bag of heroin on the street corner than to go to Asda and do my shopping."

And single mum Leanne Maloney added: "It's not a very nice place to bring up kids and there's nowhere for them to go so they just hang around the streets and get into trouble." Yet, there are hugely positive things going on to combat the problems and make the lives of children more rich. Duffryn High School is at the centre of the ward.

Its assistant headteacher Jackie Parker said: "There are difficulties, nobody is suggesting there aren't. But there's a real sense of passion about overcoming this poverty, so in five years' time the situation will be very different.

"We are aware families are struggling to make ends meet, but there is a tremendous richness in community life here. We don't feel we are in any way a deprived school. We feel 100 per cent proud of our students and have great plans."

PICTURED: Life on Newport's Duffryn estate, which has the highest child poverty rate in Wales. From the left are Tim O'Shea, Andrew Southwood and Anthony Southwood