UNPAID carers looking after loved ones are desperately in need of some free time to recuperate, according to new research.

Figures released this week revealed two thirds of carers in the east of England are at breaking point because of the pressures they are under.

Shockingly, 60 per cent of carers surveyed had not had a break for a year, and of those, more than a third had never had time off.

Sandra Amis, from Jaywick, who has cared for her wheelchair-bound husband, Michael, for 26 years, said having a little free time was hugely important for those who gave much of their lives to others.

The 65-year-old helps MS sufferer Michael, 69, with every aspect of his daily life, from 7am until he goes to bed at about 9pm.

She has looked after him full-time since 1983, when he became confined to a wheelchair. She was also pregnant at the time.

Her exhausting daily routine is broken up by Michael’s six visits a year to Brambles, a respite care centre in Surrey run by the MS Society, which she said provided her with a treasured chance to relax.

She said: “He goes there about six times a year for a week at a time, just for me to get a break.

“It gives me a chance to relax, not having to do everything for him, and a chance maybe to lie in.

“I can go out, because when he’s at home, I can’t leave him alone for too long.

“I keep a mobile phone on in case he needs me. He has called me when I was in the middle of shopping, and I have had to leave it all and go straight home.”

Michael’s visits to Brambles are partly funded by the Government.

Sandra said there needs to be more awareness of carers’ work, and more opportunities for them to find out about respite care options.

She said: “I am one of the lucky ones. I don’t know if a lot of people know they can apply for this type of thing. It is very difficult. A lot of people do not like to ask for things.”

The research, carried out for Carers Week, which runs until Sunday, also revealed the systems supposed to assist carers in getting respite help were one of the biggest hurdles they had to face, leaving them stressed and exasperated.

Lack of sleep, financial worries, and the deterioration of the person they were looking after were also huge factors taking their toll.

Emily Holzhausen, the director of policy and public affairs for Carers UK, said carers often spend so much time looking after someone their own health deteriorates.

She said: “There are not enough quality services for carers.

“A lot of people do not get enough of a break. They certainly do not get enough support to do some of the basic things people take for granted, such as popping out to the shops, getting their hair cut, or just going for a walk.

“When people do not have that, the stresses and strains build up to breaking point.”

Awareness of the work of carers is improving, she said, but the amount of work they do is often underestimated by those who have not seen how much the job involves.

Mrs Holzhausen wants to see a culture change, with more services offered to take the strain off carers, and better information available.

“It is about cutting bureaucracy”, she said.

For more information, visit www.carersweek.org, or call Carers UK on 0808 8087777.