Some parents across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire leaving children unsupervised

Today we’re hearing parents across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are risking leaving their child at home without supervision because they can't afford child care.

The NSPCC say the cost of living crisis is expected to put pressures on families

Last year alone their helpline made 519 referrals in Yorkshire and the Humber - an increase of 28% on 2020.

We spoke to Helen Westerman from the NSPCC across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire about the situation.

She told us: "We know that rising child care costs really present challenges for families who are struggling to look after youngsters who are are out of school."

"Some adults also need to be in work too."

"We also know the pandemic was having a knock on effect on the decisions families were having to make about childcare."

"Adults were juggling work, having to home school so it was a really challenging time."

"It's against the law to leave a child at home alone if it puts them at risk."

"A child that doesn't feel comfortable should never be left."

"Every child matures differently so it's almost impossible to have a one size fits all law."

"Some parents will leave children home alone to do social activities and that's fine if the child is mature enough and understands what to do in an emergency."

"Clearly that's not Ok if the child is unhappy to be left alone or the child is much younger."

• NSPCC