Christmas gets costlier at £600 each

THE bill for our Christmas blowout this year will be bigger than ever. The average outlay per head for food, drink and presents will be £602 - up from £571 a year ago.

But the hangover could be heavier too, according to accountants Deloitte & Touche, with a period of belt-tightening while debts are repaid.

The higher spending is partly the result of a bigger budget for gifts, with an average figure of £310, 8% ahead of last year.

Planned spending on socialising is up five%, to £135 and even higher in the 25-34 age group, at £168.

Scots confound their stereotype for meanness with £360 a head earmarked for gifts. That compares to £258 in East Anglia.

Sharon Fraser, consumer business partner at Deloitte, warned that the New Year months could be tough for retailers.

'In the second quarter of this year, consumers borrowed more relative to their income than at any previous point in time,' she said. 'Sooner or later, they are going to have to start paying off their debt.'