Dementia cases in North Somerset are set to soar by 43 per cent in the next 10 years, according to figures from the Alzheimer’s Society.

People with dementia spend around £100,000 on their care, with many forced to sell their homes to pay for it.

The Alzheimer's Society is calling for more support for people with the devastating disease.

Marion Child, head of the Alzheimer's Society South West, said: "Dementia is heart-breaking for families.

"It's not right that those going through it have to battle to get the care they need on top of battling the disease.

"From the working mum struggling to find hundreds of pounds every week to 'top up' her mum's council-funded care home place, to the woman who had to sell her home of 50 years to pay for her husband's care - families affected by dementia are already at breaking point.

"With costs set to treble in the next two decades, how on earth will they cope?

"The cost of dementia care is too much for an individual to bear. It should be spread between us - just like schools, the NHS and other public services.

"Families in crisis need action, and they need it now."

The number of people with dementia in Somerset increased by 36 per cent from 2014-2019.

North Somerset Council spends 41 per cent of its budget on adult social care, which amounts to around £65.8 million supporting around 3,500 residents with long-term care and more than 650 with short-term care.

The authority is expecting costs to increase as the population ages and an increasing number of people with dementia have higher care needs.

Cllr Mike Bell, North Somerset Council's deputy leader whose portfolio includes adult care, said: "North Somerset Council is committed to improving the lives and wellbeing of people with dementia and their families.

"But this is increasingly difficult to do given the scale of the pressures facing the social care system.

"Adult social care is looking at a multi-billion pound funding gap over the coming decade.

"The Government needs to urgently build a cross-party consensus to provide the long-term sustainable funding which social care, including for those with dementia, urgently needs."

The Alzheimer's Society is calling for radical reforms to dementia care to ensure people get the support they need. It also wants more money for research into the disease.