A TRADITIONAL bank holiday trip to Clacton is a “pipe dream” for one in five families, according to a leading children’s charity.

Official statistics uncovered by Barnardo’s suggest the poorest families in the UK bring in less than £423 per week and that after deducting basic living costs, disposable income for the least welloff could be as little as £39.

But hoteliers have hit back, claiming the cost of coming to Clacton is dwarfed by what it would cost to take the family abroad for a week.

Read the full story in the Clacton Gazette, out now.