Childcare can cost up �220 a week

The average weekly cost of a place for a child in a summer play scheme has risen from �67.70 last summer to �73.71, the Daycare Trust said.

The charity added that two thirds of parents were finding it difficult to obtain quality affordable childcare.

The problem was most acute for parents of children over the age of 11, the survey found.

Similiar costs

The trust surveyed 113 Children's Information Services to produce a comprehensive picture of childcare costs in England.

The survey found that average childcare costs were similar across the country.

A huge proportion of the money we earn goes out on childcare Read the childcare problems of one family

Parents in the south-east of England paid the most for childcare, �79.52 a week while families in the north-west of England paid the least, �66.46 a week.

However, there were big regional differences when it came to the most expensive childcare provision.

The South East offered the most expensive childcare in the country with some parents paying �220 a week.

At the other end of the scale, the most expensive childcare provision in the north east cost �120.

In addition, the survey revealed that many parents asked Children's Information Services for help because they could not find childcare that ran for the entirety of the six weeks of school holidays.

"The long holiday in the summer is a particular headache to many working parents who need to find quality care for their children," said Stephen Burke, Director of Daycare Trust.

"Access to quality affordable childcare during the holidays still depends on where families live and how much they earn," Mr Burke added.