The regions which save the most - and the least - have been found by a new study.
People in Northern Ireland save the biggest part of what they earn in the UK - putting by 34 per cent of average regional earnings.
New research from savings accounts provider Halifax also found that hard-pressed Londoners saved the least (21 per cent) - due in part to the higher cost of living in the capital city. This finding comes despite savers in the City of London having the single highest balance of savings to average local earnings in the country.
Region by region, people in East Anglia as a whole were found to have the biggest amount saved, while Scots had the smallest. Big divisions by age were also found by the Halifax study, with over-75s the most prudent and 18 to 24-year-olds saving the least.
Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, commented: "There are wide variations in saving behaviour across the country with Londoners saving a significantly smaller proportion of their income than elsewhere in the country. It is also notable that women save a markedly higher proportion in relation to earnings than men.
"The attention paid to pension contributions in recent years emphasises the importance that people need to attach to planning to ensure that they have sufficient income in retirement. Savings play a key part in that planning process, particularly in the current economic climate."
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