PARENTS have dipped into savings, skipped meals and used foodbanks during school holidays, a survey has found.

The new research from The Children’s Society comes as families prepare for the upcoming summer break.

It reveals the strain families face when term ends and “essential support is withdrawn,” the charity said.

In the survey of 3,000 UK parents, 65 per cent said they worry about the cost of food during the holidays and 77 per cent worry about the cost of activities.

A third said they have dipped into savings to cover holiday costs, almost a quarter borrowed money from family and friends, 27 per cent skipped a meal and one in 10 used a foodbank.

The Children’s Society chief executive Mark Russell said: “Summer holidays should be a time for fun, but for too many families it is a nightmare.

“They find themselves in debt, stressed, and needing a foodbank to survive.

“As schools close their gates for the summer break, we are seeing more and more families facing a gap in support, increased financial pressure and difficult choices.”