It is disappointing that more people are not willing to switch banks, particularly if they are unhappy with the service they receive, an expert has said.

James Daley, money editor at Which?, believes people think the process will be a "bit of a hassle", which deters them from looking elsewhere.

They also think that their direct debits will not be transferred, the expert suggested, or that something else will go wrong.

He continued: "Actually, it's much simpler than most people realise.

"Banks are required to have a switching department these days - they help the process go through as smoothly as possible, and in the majority of cases, it does."

He referred to results of a Which? survey which showed 79 per cent of people who had switched banks found the process to be either very or fairly easy.

Over half of respondents said they had not experienced any problems at all, Mr Daley said.

Banks which are good at helping their customers are recognised through the Which? Recommended Providers List, he added, which provides the status to companies that go out of their way to make an impression.

Mr Daley explained: "At the moment only six banks have made that and the reason we publish those tables every month in our magazines is in the hope that by giving people praise when they are treating their customers … that people will start to switch."

He also suggested that naming and shaming banks may encourage them to up their games.

A recent survey from Which? found that 68 per cent of UK consumers are likely to switch bank accounts because of bad service.

Those who live in Northern Ireland were revealed to be the most likely to switch banks, whereas the Welsh are least likely to do so.