Oldham Foodbank said it has hit record numbers amid the cost-of-living crisis and has seen a rise in pensioners visiting for goods for the first time - but warns it will only get worse in winter.

In the summer, the food bank said it was inching into record-breaking numbers having fed 9,826 people as of July 26.

Father Tom Davis, of St Margaret's and St Chad's in Hollinwood and who runs the food bank, said volunteers were feeding just over a thousand people a month at the time.

However, the latest figures reveal demand has rocketed by almost double with the food bank now feeding around 2,000 people on average every month in the borough.

To date, it has provided food parcels to 16,555 people this year, but Fr Davis said by the end of November, the figure could easily be 17,000.

The figures are even higher than the demand the food bank endured throughout the pandemic.

Fr Davis said: "A lot of this has to do with the cost of living.

"Last year, for the whole year, we only fed 14,000, but if this carries on, we could hit 20,000 by Christmas because it's still relatively mild at the moment.

"But come Christmas, when the kids are at home and families are going to have to put the heating on, people will really struggle."

Fr Davis said energy bills are the most pressing issue for people presenting at the food bank, but the crisis is even taking its toll on how it can operate.

Around £60-£70 used to fill the van with fuel, but now he said it costs around £110-£120.

Donations are also dwindling with the food bank with it now short on "everything" more often than it used to be.

"Thankfully, we've just had harvest and the schools have really rallied round for that, so that's propped us up a bit, and when we do put a shout out, people do rally and we are enormously grateful for that.

"Something I've noticed is the number of people who are now asking for basics like toilet roll - the real basics are in demand now.

"But to be honest, we are short on everything", he explained.

However, the most concerning rise has been the number of over 65s, many of whom are presenting at the food bank for the first time in their lives.

Fr Davis puts this down to a combination of high energy bills, low income and stagnant pensions.

"Everything is really expensive and some people are struggling with their pensions.

"Pensions aren't what they used to be.

"Pensioners might be going to bed early to save paying for heating but there have been cases, as there has in the past, with people suffering from hypothermia because they really can't afford it.

"But we're all going to be in that boat once we hit the end of December and January when it gets really cold.

"This crisis is classless. 

"It's not just affecting one part of the community, it's affecting the whole community."

The breakdown in figures reveal the food bank is supporting 963 families, 1,836 single parents and 3,311 single people, most of whom are single men.

In the over 65s category, the foodbank supports 256 people which Fr Davis said "doesn't seem like a lot" but "in the grand scheme of things, that's quite high".

He said another 24 could be added to that figure from the category of adults whose age is unknown.

But Fr Davis stressed his gratitude to all those who continue to donate and to the volunteers who make it possible.

He said: "If it wasn't for people donating and the volunteers who distribute it, it wouldn't happen. We wouldn't have fed over 16,500 people.

"And the people of Oldham, bearing in mind we're all struggling together, but they continue to be as generous as they possibly can be and I think that's a real accolade to the people of this borough, to do this through the pandemic and now this crisis.

"Whatever is thrown at us, we have stuck together."