Britons opt for holidays at home to help finances

Nearly 40 per cent of Britons will stay at home this summer rather than take a holiday as families try to balance household finances, a study has revealed.

The findings show increasing numbers of people are forfeiting traditional breaks, with domestic tourism taking the greatest hit. Those who do go away are likely to rein in their spending and will have saved for the trip in advance rather than relying on credit cards, the survey showed.

The poll of 2,000 people, for savings bank ING Direct, revealed the number of Britons taking a summer holiday has fallen sharply in the past three years.