Handbag habits are revealed

Sex toys, screwdrivers and spare knickers are among the items regularly carried around in handbags, according to a survey of women.

More than 2,000 women were surveyed for the poll by Kellogg's Special K Mini Breaks, and everything from the practical to the perverse were revealed as handbag contents.

Essentials including keys, tissues and make-up were carried alongside sex toys, porn videos, spare knickers, tarot cards, dog biscuits and a piano tuning fork.

The average woman owns seven handbags, spending around 82 on each item, according to the poll results - an average handbag collection worth around 580.

Almost a fifth of women surveyed said they used their handbag as an object to hide behind when not feeling confident on a "fat day", while 16 per cent said their handbag was like a "security blanket". And 21 per cent said receiving a compliment about their handbag was the ultimate flattery, while a third confessed to feeling envious of another woman with a nice bag.