THE scale of Swindon's childcare shortage has been revealed by official new figures.

According to Government records the town needs thousands of extra playgroup and childminder places to cope with demand.

The Department for Education and Skills says Swindon has 6,700 registered placements for children.

At the same time the department's own figures show there are 18,100 youngsters under eight living in Swindon, all of whom qualify for childcare.

That means three children are fighting for each place in pre-schools or with a properly trained carer.

And it leaves more than 11,400 outside the system, who have to be looked after by parents, other family members or friends. For many hard-pressed, working families, this is impossible. Instead, children can end up in the hands of non-registered carers who have not passed criminal record checks.

Even if children over five years old were excluded from care the town could not cope and would be 4,300 places short.

Stephen Burke, national director of the Daycare Trust, confirmed the massive scale of the shortage.

He said: "There is now approximately only one place for every four children under eight.

"Access to childcare depends on families' incomes and where they live. This often means that those children who would benefit most from quality childcare services are the ones who miss out."

The charity boss said complete access would require a registered place for each child something he is calling for.

Mr Burke said nationwide childcare places had doubled over the past six years, which had helped ease the problem.

But he said there was a long way to go before the situation was acceptable.

He added: "Quality childcare is good for children and good for society. It gives children a good start in life and is vital for parents who want to train or return to work."

Other councils across the country are facing similar shortages some even more acute than Swindon.

South Swindon MP Julia Drown, who has a young family, said: "I'm aware of childcare issues in Swindon but I think the situation is improving and there are less problems than there used to be.

"But there is room for more childcare and further expansion in the area.

"We need to offer quality and choice to parents so the more we can expand, the better that would be."

Ms Drown also said she would like to see more unregistered child carers add their names to the registration list, giving parents the peace of mind that their children were safe while they were out working.