Soaring childcare costs in UK to hit hard-up parents this summer

Families face stressful holidays with fewer providers, higher prices or deciding to keep their children at home while they work

The cost of childcare over the holidays is likely to be the highest on record this summer as providers of activity camps and other paid-for care are forced to put up prices, while others have gone out of business altogether.

A leading national charity concerned with childcare and family issues said that a cocktail of rising costs, including higher utility bills, food prices and national insurance contributions is contributing to pressures on holiday care providers.