There are four times as many young carers in the UK than previously officially recognised, new figures suggest.

In research conducted by the BBC, one in 12 participating schoolchildren said they had caring responsibilities which included dressing, washing or bathing family members, tasks which are often done by those in child care jobs.

If the survey of 4,029 school children from 10 UK secondary schools reflected the UK as a whole, it would mean that there are around 700,000 young carers in the UK. However, the 2001 census only identified 175,000.

The questionnaire which was designed by academics at the University of Nottingham, asked questions about the levels of responsibility young people have at home and they type of caring tasks they undertake. Of those who responded 337 (8%) said they had carried out "personal care" either "a lot of the time" or "some of the time" over the last month of someone at home.

Sarah Teather, the Children's Minister for England told BBC News that the research was a real indication of "the reality of what is really going on with young carers."

"It is shocking to see that they don't get the support they need or the recognition they deserve," she said. She added that later this year, the government will be launching a strategy for family carers.

However, campaigners and charity groups for years have been arguing that official figures of young carers has been vastly underestimated for too long. The National Young Carers Coalition, a group of charities which includes the princess Royal Trust for Carers, Barnardo's and the Children's Society said the figures were of "no surprise."

"Whilst the new figures from the BBC give us a more realistic picture of the scale of the problem, we still believe that there are many more than 700,000 children and young people providing care to parents or family members, who are unrecognised and without support across the UK," the group said.