Former Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury has said the travel industry is "evil" for cynically inflating prices during school holidays and has urged parents to ignore the law and take their children away in term time.

Bradbury, 46, who has a five-year-old son, Zephyr and one-year-old twins, Zena and Xanthe, said children needed to spend more time outside and if that meant missing school then it was a price worth paying.

Currently parents can be fined if they take their youngsters on holiday during school time although the law has been challenged in the courts.

Bradbury, who is president of The Camping and Caravanning Club, said the prohibitive cost of travel during the school holidays meant many children were being robbed of valuable experiences and adventures.

She said: "Children spend less time outside every day as part of the school curriculum than prisoners do, which is a frightening thought."