Families hit by childcare shortage

Thousands of mothers in north east England may be forced to cut their working hours or even stop working altogether due to a desperate shortage of childminders.

Almost one in five families in the region are struggling to find the right child care for their youngsters.

According to a study from the Department for Education and Skills, working mothers across the region are being forced to leave their children with inappropriate carers.

Gateshead Council has admitted there is a large problem, whilst Sunderland Child Care Services described the situation as "very bleak".

To tackle the problem the government has promised to treble investment in childcare this year.

However, even with the increased investment, places like Gateshead and Wearside will still be left with far fewer carers than the national average.