As schools break up for the holidays, a children's charity is urging parents to think carefully before leaving children home alone over the summer.
The NSPCC says last summer its helpline received 453 calls and emails from adults concerned about youngsters being left unattended during the holidays. More than three-quarters - 366 - were serious enough for information to be passed to police or social services. The law does not specify an age at which children can be left unattended.
However, laws in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland say children must not be neglected or abandoned "in a manner likely to cause [them] unnecessary suffering or injury to health".
The NSPCC says leaving children at home without adult supervision puts them at greater risk of accident or injury.