Form an orderly queue (for 10 mins, 6 secs)

THE patience of the average Scot has been measured for a new study, which shows we will only wait in a queue for an average of ten minutes and six seconds before giving up.

And the study has shown that Scots may be more impatient than our English neighbours, who will wait in a queue for an extra 36 seconds before walking away.

The study shows the stereotype of patiently queueing Britons may be a thing of the past as shoppers become used to instant transactions on the internet.

Eight in ten people buy, bank or pay bills electronically to avoid having to queue, and 66 per cent of people in a queue get frustrated by people time-wasting and "faffing" in front of them.

Sandra Quinn, spokeswoman for the Payments Council, which commissioned the research among 2,000 people, said: "Britain has a long and illustrious tradition of queuing, and clearly what we'll put up with varies widely.

"Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically."

Perhaps challenging their image as impatient, Londoners are prepared to wait longer in a queue than anyone else in the UK, at an average of 12 minutes 12 seconds before getting restless - 31 per cent longer than the least patient region, Yorkshire and Humberside. In England as a whole, people will queue for ten minutes 42 seconds before they lose their cool.

The nation's favourite ways to avoid queuing are to pay bills online (54 per cent), buy event tickets remotely (39 per cent), and to purchase goods such as books and electronics online or over the phone (35 per cent).

However, the survey also reveals some of the more drastic measures people are adopting to preserve their precious time, especially among younger people.

One in five people have done their shopping at night to avoid queuing, while 18 per cent have changed what they buy or where they shop.

More extreme still, one in 12 young people aged 18 to 34 have taken time off work to avoid peak time queues, and one in eight admit to sending someone else to queue for them.

Supermarkets are the nation's least favourite places to queue, followed by Post Office branches and airport check-in and security.

The over-55s admit to becoming restless nearly three minutes before younger people - with breaking points of nine minutes, 30 seconds and 12 minutes, 18 seconds respectively.

One in four people spend time in queues daydreaming, thinking about their job or home life, planning weekend social activities or talking to friends on their mobile phone.