There has been a dramatic fall in levels of savings among Britons, with almost four in ten saying they are unable to put any money aside a month at all, a new report has revealed.

A study by Sainbury’s Bank has shown that found that just six per cent of people are saving more than they did last year, while 16 per cent are banking even less.

The organisation stated that the main reasons given for this trend is that the cost of living has increased, personal circumstances have changed and the cost of maintaining personal debts.

Neil Cameron, savings manager at Sainsbury’s Finance, said the findings were "concerning".

"Many people are clearly finding it difficult to save, with a worrying number unable to set aside anything at all," he continued.

A recent report by Cop-operative Financial Services found that the average UK person spends a total of two years through their lives worrying about their spending habits and debt levels.