Fifth of Britons lie to partners over debt

Post Office research found that 78 per cent of people with hidden debts have never admitted the true extent of their deception, while most of those that did come clean had already been found out.

In Scotland, 27 per cent of debtors in Aberdeen keep their debts hidden from their partners, as do a fifth of Glaswegians and 13 per cent of those in Edinburgh, the Post Office claimed.

Across the UK, women are more likely than men to hide their debt problems, with 45 per cent refusing to admit spending on expensive clothing. Men are most likely to keep quiet about spending on alcohol and gadgets.