WORKING parents expect to miss out on time with family and loved ones this Christmas as financial pressures take their toll, Action for Children has found. 

The charity’s researchers heard that three in 10 parents are likely to give their children everyday basics such as school books, shoes or a coat for their main Christmas present this year, with over a third planning to cut back as pressures from rising bills hit. 

With last year’s Christmas seen by many as having been “cancelled,” the poll also found more than a third of parents said they feel under more pressure to give their children a happy Christmas this year.

Campaigns director Imran Hussain said: “For most of us the festive season is a happy time, but there are children all over the UK who face a very different Christmas.

“After almost two years of worry, isolation and poverty, many families are now at breaking point, struggling to afford the basics like food, heating and clothes.”

The charity found a similar pattern in Scotland as a quarter of working parents north of the border said they are likely to take on extra work or avoid having time off due to a rise in living costs.  

Of these, 25 per cent said they are likely to avoid taking time off or work extra hours, with nearly nine in 10 set to miss out on family gatherings during the Christmas break.