UK 'unsafe, dirty and anti-family'

Violence, dirt, traffic and unfriendly restaurants all pose problems

The UK is dirty, violent and an unsafe place to bring up children, according to a survey of young families.

Six out of 10 young British parents think the UK is "anti-child" and "anti-family", according to the poll.

Law and order, violence, dirty streets and dangerous traffic were named as problems by the 2,000 people surveyed by Mother & Baby magazine and Pampers nappies.

They were also anxious about "dismal" public transport, dirty public toilets, and over-priced days out.

Slightly over half - 51% - said the cumulative problems were so bad they "no longer feel safe in Britain".

Louts roam the dirty streets, there are no clean public toilets, public transport is dire, parking is scarce and expensive, restaurants treat families as a nuisance and the leisure industry rips them off

Dani Zur, editor of Mother & Baby

A third of young mothers said they did not feel safe even when they were out and about in their local town.

Eight out of 10 said "the current government doesn't do enough to ensure British streets are safe for families and children".

Seven in 10 said their town was dirty and strewn with litter, while 78% said their town did not have any clean public toilets or baby-changing facilities.

Almost two-thirds were "fed up with dog mess on their pavements".

"Too much traffic thundering through their town" was a problem for 62%, and almost half said there were "no safe places to cross".

The only thing that did get the thumbs-up was the local supermarket - which won the approval of 82% of parents.

The problems faced were so bad that almost six out of 10 parents did not take their baby out on a daily basis.

A third of those surveyed had been turned away from a restaurant when they had a baby with them

Dani Zur, editor of Mother & Baby, said: "Britain used to be a wonderful place to bring up young children and it's deeply concerning that so many families no longer feel safe on British streets.

"Street crime has risen so sharply that many mums don't even feel safe pushing their baby's buggy down their local high street.

"It's time children were put first in Britain, not last. At present, local councils don't consider the needs of families out and about in their local towns."

Restaurants

Restaurants seem to pose particular problems for young families.

Almost nine out of 10 families thought the majority of UK restaurants were not family friendly, and 85% felt they were a rip-off.

SAFETY CONCERNS

51% "no longer feel safe in Britain"

32% "don't feel safe in own town"

70% said their town was dirty

62% said there was "too much traffic "

A third had been turned away when they had a baby with them.

As for days out, these were considered extremely over-priced. For the last attraction they visited - not including major theme parks - an adult entry ticket cost on average £8.30 and a child's £4.

The majority of Britain's families said their favourite outing was visiting friends or relatives.

Other than that, the seaside was the first choice for almost half (45%), followed by the zoo, then a park or garden. Only 11% opted for a theme park.

Legoland in Berkshire, which the Queen visited on Tuesday, was named the top family-friendly attraction - but a family of five would have to pay £85.75 to get in.

That was closely followed by the lesser-known Paultons Park near Romsey, Hampshire, which beat all the theme parks in the survey for "best value-for-money".