Brit kids 'missing out' on traditional beach holidays

London, Aug 14 : A large number of Brit kids have never had a taste of the traditional British beach holiday, says a new survey.

The majority have never seen a 'Punch and Judy' show, taken a donkey ride or been involved in a sand castle competition.

The survey found 37 per cent of children have never seen a 'Punch and Judy Show', 41 per cent have never had a donkey ride and 73 per cent have not taken part in a sand castle competition.

The survey found 78 per cent of their parents used to watch a Punch and Judy show at least once a year.

It also found only 26 per cent of parents had never been on a donkey ride and 65 per cent had never entered a sand castle competition.

A Punch and Judy puppet show was first performed in 1662 at London's Covent Garden where it was witnessed by diarist Samuel Pepys.

But modern children are more likely to spend their holidays playing games on computers or listening to MP3 players.

The Punch and Judy Fellowship, whose patron is comedian Ken Dodd, blames "ill-informed individuals" for portraying the show as violent.

"Punch and Judy went through the doldrums a few years ago and you don't see so many shows on beaches and street corners," the Telegraph quoted A Fellowship spokesman, as saying.

"We get a lot of negative publicity. You have got to get permission from the council but some councils don't want shows. It is just political correctness.

"But it is making a comeback. Up until this year, people have always gone abroad for their holidays but now there is a big increase in staying in this country," the rep added.

The survey, by Chevrolet, also found that families will typically take at least three trips to British seaside resorts this summer but each outing costs 73 pounds a day on average.

ANI