Carers 'save Britain £87bn a year'

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Carers UK said the true value of unpaid care - calculated by researchers at the University of Leeds - is significantly higher than previously thought.

In 2002, it was estimated to be £57 billion. Researchers found the average carer saves the nation £15,260.

The charity is calling on the Government to recognise the huge contribution made by carers ahead of Gordon Brown's first Labour Party Conference as Prime Minister.

Chief executive, Imelda Redmond, said it was clear without carers the NHS and social care systems would collapse.

Ms Redmond said: "When you put a monetary value on carers' contribution to the economy, it shows the stark reality of the true costs.

"It is clear that without carers, our NHS and social care systems would collapse. Indeed their input is so vast that it has kept pace with the extra investment put by Government into the NHS."

Many carers are isolated and unsupported, with thousands living in poverty and unable to take up paid work or have a normal social life, according to the charity.

"It is ironic, given the billions they contribute to the economy, that so many carers are forced into poverty and a low quality of life," Ms Redmond added.

Ms Redmond called for the Government, employers and public bodies to take action to end the problem of social exclusion among carers.

"It is time they were given the support and recognition to become valued and equal members of society," she said.