A new survey has revealed that those who live in the south-east of England are the most likely to own a plastic card in the UK.

Meanwhile, those in the west Midlands are least likely to have one, the Payments Council revealed, with other interesting facts also emerging from the study,

A north/south divide was revealed by the findings, showing that 95 per cent of southerners own credit cards, compared to 91 per cent of their northern counterparts.

"This research, on the whole, confirms long-standing trends; increasing reliance on debit cards and phone or internet banking and a noticeable decline in use of cheques," said Sandra Quinn, director of communications at the Payments Council.

In recent days, it has been announced that cheques are to be phased out as a method of payment over the course of the next nine years.

The Payments Council Board stressed that the deadline of October 31st 2018 would give people sufficient time to find alternative methods of payment.

Figures from the Payments Council reveal that Scots are the least likely to use cheques, with 20 per cent using the method compared to 31 per cent across the rest of the country.

Londoners were revealed to rely on cheques the most, although their usage across the country fell by six per cent between 2008 and 2009.

"The proportion of adults in the north-east using internet or phone banking, which at 46 per cent, is seven per cent below the national average," revealed Ms Quinn.

Internet banking is a particularly growing trend, the survey discovered, as those who live in the south-east are most likely to manage their finances online.

However, those living in East Anglia are the least likely to make cash machine withdrawals.