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British people guilty of apathy may end up racking up a large bill for their laziness over the course of their lifetime, according to the latest research.

A study by the British bank Aldermore revealed that slothful behaviour, such as driving rather than walking or not taking advantage of price comparison sites, can cost people in the UK as much as £17,000.

Yet, almost half of the 2,000 individuals surveyed by the financial institution said they would rather pay someone else to do the laborious jobs in their lives.

"Lots of savings can be made from very simple changes," said Simon Healy at Aldermore.

”We live in a world where we want everything to be done as quickly as possible so if that means we throw clothes in the tumble dryer and pay for the car to be washed rather than getting our own hands dirty, then that will all come at a cost."

One key way that Brits waste money is by not shopping around for the best deals. In general, almost half (43 per cent) said they can't be bothered to look around the market to save money and 12 per cent just go for the first insurance quote they get given. Of these, a third said they didn't have the time to shop around and a fifth simply say they can afford to not get the best deal going.

Yet, if they did choose to find the best deal, they could have saved more than £750 just over the last few years.

Many Brits are too lazy to cancel unnecessary direct debit payments, which costs them £52 a year on average, while taking their vehicle to the car wash, rather than using a bucket and sponge, costs £68 a year.

”When making big purchases or when looking for a mortgage or loan or even a savings account, it’s important to look for the best deal but the first one will rarely be the most cost effective and I’m staggered the survey revealed that one in ten plumped for the first deal they came across," Mr Healy added.