Nearly two-thirds of holidaymakers admit to overspending while they are away, shelling out £220 more than planned on average, according to a Government-backed body.

Some 60% of people surveyed for the Money Advice Service (MAS) said they get carried away when it comes to holiday spending.

The most common reasons for spending more than they had planned were that the food and drink cost more than expected or that activities turned out to be more expensive than holidaymakers had realised.

Nearly one in four (24%) people surveyed said they had gone on a holiday they could not really afford in the last year. The main reasons people said they had done so were that they felt they deserved it or that they felt obliged to go.

Four in 10 (39%) people said they usually returned home with a holiday debt, which took nearly five months on average to pay off.

Andy Webb, a money expert at the MAS, said planning ahead and buying items and exchanging money before leaving the UK could help people to avoid paying more than expected.

More than 2,000 people from across the UK took part in the research for the MAS, an independent body set up by Government to offer money tips.