People taking Canal Boat Holidays in the UK have been told that more families are taking breaks during term time because they cannot afford to travel during the summer holidays.

According to figures from Tesco Bank, one-fifth of parents do not believe that taking breaks during term time impacts on their child's education, while 44 per cent choose to travel outside the school holidays because it is cheaper.

John McDonald, director of the Family Holiday Association, a charity which helps disadvantaged families to take breaks away from home, said that around one in three families cannot afford to get away during the school holidays.

'I think, as long as they're through authorised absence and there's common sense applied on both sides of the argument, many more families would benefit from a break,' he went on to say.

Mr McDonald suggested that the UK could implement a similar system to that in operation in France, where families are given holiday vouchers that allow them to spend some leisure time together.