Families face soaring bills for having fun together

Families are facing the most expensive costs for filling their leisure time in at least a decade, a study has found.

The cost of 10 out of 11 activities surveyed, including buying football tickets, visiting theme parks, tucking into a takeaway and gym membership, have soared more rapidly than inflation, according to Halifax. Only the cost of gardening has risen by a lower rate since 2002, increasing by 17 per cent, well below the 29 per cent CPI inflation rate.

The hikes come as families are feeling the biggest squeeze on their spending power in more than a year due to the increased cost of basic goods like food and drink and gas and electricity bills coupled with low wage rises, according to a recent Lloyds TSB report.