Valentine's Day gift survey highlights budget conscious Britons

Budget-conscious Britons are planning to spend around half the amounts spent in some other parts of Europe on Valentine's Day, a survey has found.

On average, people in the UK plan to spend just under £50 treating loved ones on Tuesday, while those in Spain, France and Italy expect to have a budget of around £110.

The research, from website Groupon, also found people in Germany expect to spend around £84 on Valentine's Day.

The survey of more than 8,000 people also found around a quarter (26%) of UK couples considered themselves romantic, compared with 43% of couples in Italy.

Seven in 10 (70%) people in the UK who were in a relationship said they planned to buy a Valentine's Day gift for their partner, compared with 91% of those in Italy and 83% in France.

Nearly a third (31%) of Britons surveyed said they just wanted to receive an old-fashioned card on Valentine's Day.

The most popular gift that Britons would like to receive on the day was a romantic dinner, followed by something that had sentimental value to both people in the relationship, and an experience such as a day out or a trip somewhere.

Here are the average amounts of money that people plan to spend on Valentine's Day, according to the survey from Groupon:

1. Spain, £111.08

2. France, £107.33

3. Italy, £107.30

4. Germany, £83.77

5. UK, £49.64