Despite being unheard of in Britain 10 years ago the prom is now the highlight of the year for school-leavers, but has it gone too far?

But with the average cost of the evening rising to an all time high, we are asking if proms have become too expensive.

One mum told netmums.com that she easily spent over £500 on her daughter's high school prom, which included spending £190 on a prom dress, £50 on shoes, £80 for a share of the limo hire and over £100 on hair and make up.

The prom season may well be short, only four weeks from mid-June to mid-July, but it is a sweet one for the prom business with the industry estimated to be worth about £80 million last year, according to a survey by Holiday Inn.

The survey also found that the average cost of a prom was £244 per person, with one in 10 spending more than £500 and two per cent splashing out more than £1,500.

However, not everyone believes the prom is a good idea.

Audrey Eade got in touch on the EDP Facebook page to say 'High school is one thing. Primary school leavers having Proms now. Utterly ridiculous, what's wrong with a ton of cola bottles and Agadoo?'.

While David Walker commented to say, 'I feel sorry for the less well off kids and parents. There must be an awful lot of peer pressure to attend this American import.'