In news that may prick the ears of people seeking teaching jobs, new research has revealed that nearly four million children in the UK do not own a book.

And perhaps more worryingly, the National Literacy Trust has observed that the proportion of children without books is increasing.

Indeed, the figures now stand at one in three, compared with one in ten in 2005.

Voicing concern about the trend, Trust director Jonathan Douglas explained: "We know there is a direct correlation between book ownership and children's reading abilities.

"With one in six in the UK struggling with literacy it is very worrying that many children could be missing out on opportunities to develop these essential skills."

Children who owned books were more likely than others to read every day, according to the Trust, which added that book ownership had a clear link with reading ability.

Earlier this year, education secretary Michael Gove said that GCSE students should read up to 50 books a year.