Vast differences in the quality of life of British children increasingly depend on where they live, according to a major new study.

Save the Children says a third of British children still live in poverty, but the problems are far more serious in isolated pockets of England and Scotland.

The charity's study, The Well-being of Children in the UK, also identifies obesity, fewer chances for free play, homelessness and traffic as growing problems in some areas.

It describes its report, carried out with the University of York, as the first ever comprehensive study of the state of children in the UK.

Almost four million British children live in poverty

Save the Children is calling on the government to carry out similar studies in the future, to identify what needs to be done to improve the lives of young people in all corners of the UK.

Madeleine Tearse, the organisation's UK policy and strategy manager, told BBC News Online: "The UK has the second highest rate of child poverty in Europe... we have got a lot of catching up to do."

Click here to see national differences

According to the report Wales has the highest levels of child poverty nationally at 33%; compared to 30% each in Scotland and England.

Key findings

One third of children live in poverty Growth of ill health greatest among young Children's diets remain poor More young people qualified Highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe Truancy rate remains steady Alcohol and drug use rising Boys' suicide up in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

But the charity identifies Whitfield South in the Scottish city of Dundee as the area facing the greatest difficulties overall, with 96.1% of children living below the poverty line.

In England the local authority of Tower Hamlets is singled out as an area of particular concern, with three out of four children living in families with less than 60% of average income.

Save the Children contrasts the lives of children in these areas with those in Gerrard's Cross, in Buckinghamshire, which has the lowest child poverty rate at 0.5%.

Mrs Tearse said that while child poverty affects 3.8 million young people - down from a high of 4.5 million in the mid-1990s - more still needs to be done.

She said: "We still have many children in very low income families and what that can mean is children not having three meals a day, a warm coat or properly fitting shoes."

Teenage pregnancy

Save the Children said its most striking finding was that while children's lives are generally improving UK-wide, there are increasing disparities between different areas.

We would urge the government to regularly produce its own report on the well-being of children

Jonathan Bradshaw

Northern Ireland, for example, has the highest infant mortality rate, but the lowest teenage pregnancy rate.

Children in Scotland appear to have the worst diets, the highest youth suicide rate but the best overall education attainment.

In Wales, it is the highest rate of teenage pregnancies and the worst alcohol and drugs problems that stand out.

'Huge inequalities'

Mrs Tearse said the government needs to take note of its study and carry out further research in the future.

She said: "This report demonstrates huge inequalities in children's lives and there is still a long way to go to tackle issues like child poverty effectively in the UK.

"It is impossible to imagine how governments can effectively reach those children most in need of their support without detailed UK-wide, national and local monitoring of children's well-being."

Jonathan Bradshaw, editor of the report and professor of social policy at the University of York, said: "We would urge the government to regularly produce its own report on the well-being of children in the UK, so that all members of the UK public can see for themselves how far government policy is impacting on the well-being of children."

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