Britons might be heading for a lean Christmas, after saving hit their lowest levels in a year. Consumers saved an average of 413 pounds in the three months to end-September - the lowest amount this year - according to the latest findings of Birmingham Midshires' "Saving Britain" campaign.
That was 21.3 percent lower than the 525 pounds saved in the second quarter of this year, and down 39.3 percent on average savings of 680 pounds in the four quarter of 2005.
Jason Robinson, director of savings at Birmingham Midshires, said: "Looking at current levels of savings, it would appear that many Brits may have started spending for Christmas early.
Those aged 30-50 were the most prudent savers in the third quarter of 2006, tucking away 464 pounds, while the under 30s managed to save just 295 pounds.
The report also unearthed a widening gap in savings patterns between men and women. Over the last three months, women saved just 232 pounds, while men squirreled away 612 pounds.
Some 41 percent of women have no savings at all and those who do have a nest egg have less than half as much as men tucked away - 6,854 pounds against 14,762 pounds. The survey of 2,000 people was carried out by YouGov.
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