The cost of childcare continues to rise well above the rate of inflation, at a time when parents are reporting continued difficulty in finding quality affordable places for their children, so says a study by Daycare Trust, the national childcare campaign.

Carried out with the support of Sodexho Pass, the study found London and the South East continue to be hit hardest by the inflation-busting rise in prices.

Inner London boroughs saw nursery place costs soar by more than 17%, keeping them the highest in the country; typically £197 for a week’s nursery care for a child under the age of two.

The Survey found that some parents in Inner London are currently paying £350 for a week’s full-time nursery care.

The average rise in costs to parents of nursery places is 5.2% - three and a quarter times the rate of inflation. This leaves the typical cost of a nursery place for a child under the age of two years up to £141 a week, from £134 last year. For a child aged over two years, the typical cost in England is £132, a 7.3% rise from £123 last year.

The annual survey profiles the costs parents can expect to pay for nursery places, childminders and out of school clubs. This year, for the first time, the Survey also includes figures from Scotland and Wales. A nursery place for an under-two year-old is typically £122 in Scotland and £120 in Wales; while for over-twos, typically £117 and £115 respectively.

The cost of childminders is highest in the South East region, typically £157 for a child under two, full time, for a week, and £154 for a child over the age of two. Nationally those figures are £127 and £126 respectively, reflecting a 5% rise since 2004.

The costs of out of school clubs are also profiled. Nationally, based on a 15-hour week, such clubs typically cost parents £45, but in the East of England region the rate is almost 50% higher, at £60 a week.

Almost all areas of the country reported a rise in the costs parents have to pay for all forms of childcare, when they can find it. The least expensive region in the UK for childcare costs is the West Midlands, with figures below national averages, despite increases across the board of more than 5%.

As part of the Survey, Daycare Trust also asked local childcare information services whether parents were reporting a lack of affordable, quality childcare in their area. A massive 65% confirmed this to be a problem.

This Survey’s findings come at a time of change for childcare, with the unveiling last year of the government’s 10-Year childcare strategy. Daycare Trust will be at the forefront of working with government, local authorities, parents and childcare providers to ensure that the vision of universal, affordable, quality childcare now championed by ministers is delivered.