Working families in the UK face rising childcare costs and a scarcity of council run childcare provision this summer, a survey has suggested.
The cost of holiday childcare has risen 4% since 2016 to an average of £125 per week, a Family and Childcare Trust report found.
A separate survey estimated the cost of summer childcare would hit £3.44bn. And working families face a general squeeze on incomes as inflation continues to outstrip real wage growth.
Shortages of cheaper council-run childcare have increased since last year, the Family and Childcare Trust 'Holiday Childcare Survey 2017' found.
In England, the majority of local authorities either do not have or don't know if they have enough summer childcare provision available. And private and voluntary sector holiday clubs are 22% more expensive than those run by local councils.
In England the average cost of six weeks of holiday childcare per child is £748, leaving parents "on the ropes" the Family and Childcare Trust said.
But childcare costs in Wales have fallen 5% to about £118 per week. The cost of childcare in Scotland is on a par with England.
The biggest gaps in provision are for children aged 12 to 14, and for disabled children.
There are wide regional and national variations in average cost for childcare, with outer London the most expensive at £135 per week.
The cheapest was inner London at £112 per week, followed by Wales, and the West Midlands.
