Parents and dads in Pembroke have been taking part in a campaign stunt - to highlight the impact of the UK’s poor paternity pay, handing out mocked up parking fine style ‘Paternity Charge Notices’ on buggies and other baby items as part of a nationwide wave of action.

The notes, which resemble parking enforcement notices, inform those returning to find them that: “Costs for so many things have soared in the past few years, but the country's paternity leave system remains stuck in the past.”

Fathers and parents involved in The Dad Shift (TDS) campaign are placing the yellow PCNs on buggies, formula, nappies and other items all over the Pembrokeshire town, after action was called to protest the gap between the £5-9k average cost of a child’s first year of life and “ridiculous” £374.36 currently given to dads in paternity pay.

Research from TDS shows Statutory Paternity Pay rose just 23% over the past five years while costs of basics such as milk formula rose by over 25% in less than half the time, and nappies and wipes rose between 20-37% in just 12 months.

The message is born out of polling conducted for TDS and Movember of a representative sample of new fathers, with 62% of new dads agreeing that - “my family and I struggled under the pressure that comes when a new baby arrives”.

Polling found that over half of new dads experience mental and physical health consequences arising from the pressure to provide.

61% said the pressure to provide affected their mental health, 51% their physical health, and 65% said it meant they were less present than they would like to be.

87% agreed that the value of statutory paternity pay is “ridiculous” and 57% agreed that “the stress of financial insecurity during the first year of life has been a material influence on our decision making in respect of having more children”.

A spokesperson for the campaign, explained: “Dads and non-birthing parents get just two weeks on less than half the minimum wage, £374.36 for the fortnight - not even enough to buy the average pram. Self employed people get nothing.

“It's the worst offer in Europe and massive financial pressure is wrecking the health of working dads and their families.”

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift said: “£374.36 might be enough for a weekend away, but to meaningfully help with the costs when a new baby arrives? Ridiculous. And that’s without mentioning the self-employed dads who don’t get a penny!

“Working fathers and non-birthing partners pay their share and yet when a new baby arrives there’s next to nothing left to help with costs that have skyrocketed in recent years.

“The responsibility to provide is one we take really seriously as dads, but with zero support the pressure it comes with is wrecking people’s health just when their families need them. No wonder more than half of dads are put off having more kids by the risk of financial insecurity,” he continued.