SUPERMARKETS and high street retailers are locked in a price battle to offer thousands of parents deals on pupils school uniform ahead of the autumn term.

North Lincolnshire children are heading back to school from Tuesday, but parents are faced with the worry of compromising quality for quantity to ensure all their children are kitted out.

Tesco director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: "By providing affordable prices, we are helping families sometimes caught in an expensive trap."

But for one Scunthorpe family uniform business it is more about quality than quantity.

Shah's, in West Street, Scunthorpe, has sold school uniform for the past 40 years.

Owner Anayat Shah, 39, said: "We pride ourselves on good-quality products at a budget price.

"Most customers will get uniform from here for both junior and comprehensive schools and it will last the entire year.

"I feel supermarkets are about making profit and quality is not always there, meaning several purchases for parents through out the year."

However, Mr Shah believes schools do not help the financial situation by making their own branded clothing compulsory. He said: "Comprehensive school pupils especially wear uniform with mandatory logos.

"They are more expensive to buy and only available from schools.

"I have approached schools to try to help, offering a printing service for school logos on to uniforms, but they prefer not to."

Mum Justine Kaye, 34, of Winterton, is just one parent who has had to fork out £150 so far for the new school term.

She said: "It is all about getting the best deal, it is an expensive time of year but I have no complaints in the prices of items.

"The majority is compulsory, so there is not much choice about it.

"It is a good thing for supermarkets to have the deals on uniform. It makes it more affordable for families."