SIR - When, in the future, students of history look back to the Britain of these present times, two aspects which will surely stand out are the prevalence and burgeoning use of food banks by those on woefully inadequate incomes and zero-hour contracts by some employers.

Figures for 2014 released by the Office For National Statistics show the number of people on zero-hour contracts rose by more than 110,000 on the previous year. In the last three months of 2014, a total of 697,000 people across the country were employed on such contracts.

Zero-hours contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of hours at work for the employee and they also tend to affect women and young people more frequently. They were used increasingly during the recession as companies tried to save money but now seem to be becoming more entrenched. The TUC says zero-hours contract workers earn £300 a week less on average than those on permanent contracts.

Dr John Philpott, director of the Jobs Economist consultancy, described the increase as “disturbing” and added, “It looks as though (such contracts) are becoming a more ingrained feature in the UK’s employment landscape, which is likely to (prolong) poor pay and working conditions in the lower reaches of the labour market.”

David Hornsby, West View Avenue, Wrose