Children who are cared for by friends and relatives while their parents work can suffer "significant ill-effects" to their development, a new report s

Researchers at Bristol University also found that children whose mothers go back to full-time work before they are 18 months old are slower at developing basic learning skills.

However, the cost of childcare can be too much for some parents - summertime play schemes cost as much as £135 a week.

Furthermore, there is only one childcare place for every five children under the age of eight, according to the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).