The number of parents getting into debt to cover childcare costs in the UK has risen by a third over the past 12 months, according to a new survey

There has been a sharp increase in childcare debts that parents are facing in the UK, according to research on behalf of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwe

In a survey of 35,800 parents in England with a child under the age of five, some 45.9% - almost half - revealed they had to get into debt or withdraw money from their savings to pay for chi

That represented a 30% increase on 2023, the 2024 State of the Nation childcare report found

The number of single parents in the same category was higher still, with almost two-thirds (66.5%) saying they had to use credit cards, borrow money or tap into their savings or pension to cover the childcare costs

Half of parents (53%) with a child under five said they spent more than a quarter of their household income on childcare, a figure up 16% on last year. One in five parents (19.2%) said they spent more than half their household income on childcare