Childcare bills have reached record levels and parents are facing ever-soaring costs, according to a survey out today.

Workers in the South-East and London pay up to £168 a week, which is more than £8,730 a year.

The typical cost of a nursery place for a child under two is now £128 a week, or more than £6,650 a year, up 6.7 per cent in the last year, said childcare charity Daycare Trust.

The typical cost of a full-time place with a childminder for a child under two was £118 a week, while the typical cost for an after-school club was £34 for 15 hours a week.

The rising bills threaten the success of the Government's childcare strategy.

The charity is calling on ministers and employers to provide more help with childcare for parents.

Director Stephen Burke said: "British parents face the highest childcare bills in Europe. Parents need more help towards childcare costs to enable them to work and to give their children a good start in life.

"Affordable childcare for all is crucial to achieving many of the Government's policies - from ending child poverty to raising educational attainment."

With only one childcare place for every seven children under eight and growing numbers of women in the workplace, demand for childcare has outstripped supply and pushed up prices.