Grandparents save parents in St Albans £8,000 a year, according to new research.
Almost a quarter of families in St Albans (22 per cent) see their grandchildren once a week but usually end up 'working' by looking after them and playing chauffeur.
The study, carried out by the family pub restaurant chain Table Table, found that more than a third of parents in St Albans (36 per cent) admitted that their own parents help to avoid spending a 'considerable amount' of money on childcare.
Table Table also discovered that grandparents splash out an average of £989 a year on their grandchildren - buying them toys, clothes, driving lessons and contributing to educational fees.
On average, grandparents in the district babysit for an average of eight hours a day at least 76 times a year - saving parents a £7,615.69 in annual costs.
Meanwhile, more than three quarters of grandparents in St Albans (77 per cent) spend up to £2,000 on their grandchildren during a 12-month period.
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