UK holidays 'rip-off for families'

Rather than being welcomed with open arms, families throughout Britain feel that they are ripped off by hotels, holiday camps, B&Bs and family days out in the UK.

Over three quarters of parents say most hotels in Britain do not cater for families with young children and say their seaside break was a rip-off.

The Family Friendly Britain Campaign Survey commissioned by Mother & Baby magazine and Mothercare also found that 70% of parents say a week in a hotel abroad is cheaper than a week in a hotel in Britain, where the average family hotel room costs £120 per night.

Only 42% of parents with a baby or young children say they received a warm welcome at their British holiday hotel - 58% were given the impression that young children were not welcome and 69% said family rooms in British holiday hotels are too small.

More than half of those questioned said their family room did not have a nice view and 55% said their room was not as clean as it should have been.

When it came to the meals on offer to children, two thirds of participants said that these were "unhealthy" or "poor".

According to the survey, parents believed half of British seaside towns needed to clean up their act, with 96% of parents saying that British car parks overcharge and 86% believing families are charged too much for meals out at seaside cafes.

When it came to family days out in the UK, parents said they felt "fleeced" by the average cost of £84 an outing.

The average family spends £2,016 per year on family days out in Britain.