Ministers have been accused of acting like “loan sharks” after a record £16 million was raised in fees from those paying child maintenance. More parents than ever are using the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to arrange their payments through a service that charges a 24 percent levy.

Campaigners say the net effect of this levy is that each child – who is often living in a low income home – is being deprived of £320 a year on average.

The Coparent Coalition, a campaign group that…