Parents of children with learning disabilities are being pushed to “breaking point” during the summer break, a report says.

Mencap, a children’s learning disability charity, said that access to childcare in the holiday months was “insufficient” and “inflexible” in many council areas.

In a survey, 56 per cent of parents told the charity that they struggled to access short breaks and respite services, and almost half said that they found it difficult to access daily childcare during the summer months.

The report comes as a response to the Department for Education (DfE), which said it was doing “more than ever” to support families with childcare.

Sharon Preece, a mother of an eight-year-old with complex needs, said: “We have found there’s been a drastic drop in what’s available for families like ours in the summer holidays.”

In 2014, a report found that parents were asked to pay higher than average fees for care and provision, and in 2015, a separate survey found that just 21 per cent of local authorities had reported having sufficient childcare for disabled children.

Ms Preece said: “Not only have services been cut back, the ones that are left have increased in cost. The play scheme Sam goes on has gone from being free to costing £70 a week this year.

“I had to give up work to look after Sam, so the cost of activities has a real impact on what we can afford to do.

“It’s also difficult if you run into any problems because the local services are so stretched. Everyone goes on holiday and you’re very much left on your own.”