One grandparent in seven cannot see their grandchildren

ONE in seven grandparents in Britain is being prevented from seeing their grandchildren.

Nearly a quarter said they had been excluded from their grandchild’s life after the child’s parents had divorced or separated, according to research.

A further seven per cent said they had been intentionally frozen out.

The survey of more than 2,000 grandparents showed that those in the North East had been worst hit, with a third saying access to their grandchildren had been restricted.

Family lawyer Vicky Preece said grandparents were increasingly taking legal action to gain access to their estranged grandchildren.

Ms Preece, from IBB Solicitors, which commissioned the study, said: ‘In the past ten years, I’ve seen a rise in cases of this kind.

‘I deal with about 20 cases a year and up to half have an element of grandparents being estranged from grandchildren. Grandparents are paying out quite substantial legal costs. If you end in fully contested private proceedings, you are talking tens of thousands of pounds.’

Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen has called for the right for grandchildren to see their grandparents to be enshrined in law.

She said: ‘I am aware that not all grandparents are saints, so there can be a good reason why a child is being excluded. But not in these numbers.’

Diana Dunk, 73, from Oxfordshire, has not seen her three grandsons for almost four years amid strained relations with her daughter-in-law.

She said: ‘When you have grandchildren, it’s an unconditional love. When that relationship is taken away, it’s a travesty for grandparent and child. It breaks your heart.’