But the additional funds required are estimated at �40m.

Carers Numbers

5.7m in UK By 2037, extra 3.5m needed Figures from Carers UK

Social services must assess the needs of carers within the local area, but there is no obligation to provide support.

The kind of help councils could provide include visits or the chance of a short holiday.

A quarter of 110 local authorities admitted they did not have enough resources to provide this kind of support.

'Time-bomb'

A survey carried out last year by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers suggested one in four carers in the UK had suffered health problems.

The report suggested a lack of help - two out of three receive no support at all - was having a significant effect on their own health.

Two million carers in the UK were over 60 and a Help the Aged report claimed more than half of older carers suffered a long standing illness or disability.

A separate study by the charity Carers UK indicated that by 2037, an extra 3.5m carers will be needed to cope with an estimated 3m increase in people over the age of 75.