An Irvine aid worker helping to feed people starving in war-torn Yemen has told of working in the world’s most dangerous conflict zones.

Adventurous Laura Phillips, 28, is currently in war-torn Yemen as a World Food Programme analyst helping to feed 12 million displaced and starving Yemenis a month, having previously worked with the agency in Bangladesh and Syria.

Laura – based in Sana’a – says her mother immediately called her as news broke that seven people had been killed after a Save The Children hospital was hit by an airstrike.

Laura said: “It is quite concerning that hospitals and civilian institutions are being hit on a somewhat regular basis. It does illustrate the dangers of this job.

“My dad is still in the Army and now my mum is having to deal with both of us being away. She does comment that I am following in his footsteps and throwing myself into challenging environments.”

Yemen was already one of the world’s poorest nations and fighting has now left 80 per cent of the country’s population of 30 million in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

Laura said: “The most frustrating thing about Yemen is that the crisis is not due to a natural disaster. There is no drought – it is purely economic. We get taken to a supermarket once a week and the shelves are full, which can be quite jarring when you know that, for so many Yemenis, that food is out of reach because of the total decline of the economy.

“We are as safe as you can be in Yemen on our protected compound in Sana’a. You can hear what we call ‘fireworks’ at night time, but I feel relatively safe.

“We travel every day to the office and you see total destruction. Buildings are decimated from airstrikes, you see areas that are just completely destroyed.

“But it is invigorating to be part of something that is so hard hitting. We’re currently feeding 10 million people a month. By the end of the year we are aiming to increase this to 12 million.”

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: “Courageous aid workers such as Laura are at the heart of the UK’s efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.”