More than 40 per cent of parents who have their child support payments controlled by the Government are failing to pay their ex-partners.

Newly released figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that about 310 parents were due to pay support through the Child Maintenance Service in Merton between April and June this year, but 43.9 per cent of them had their payments in arrears.

Despite this higher than average number, it is actually smaller than the previous three month period, where slightly more than half of parents failed to make the payments.

Sumi Rabindrakumar, research officer at Gingerbread, the charity for single-parent families. said the rate of non-compliance in Britain, about 38 per cent of the total, is "worryingly high."

"These figures show that the Government still needs to get to grips with unpaid child maintenance," she said.

"Time and time again, parents come to Gingerbread frustrated by Child Maintenance Service inaction.

"This is not just about introducing more powers. The CMS must deal with cases more promptly and make better use of existing powers.

"With over £200 million in unpaid maintenance, the Government risks repeating the same mistakes as the old Child Support Agency.

"Without reform, too many children will continue to go without the support they deserve."

This payment service, called Collect & Pay, is part of the CMS, which was set up in 2012 to replace the Child Support Agency.

The CMS can take money from a parent's earnings or their bank account if they try to avoid payments, or take a parent to court.

The Child Maintenance Service can also calculate the amount of child support to be paid and parents can make the arrangements themselves without the direct control of the Government - a mechanism called Direct Pay.

In Merton, 540 parents made Direct Pay arrangements from April to June 2018.