Southerners 'more likely to use online banking'

Use of internet and telephone banking is particularly prevalent among Britons from the south-east, a new study reports.

Those living in the south of England could be the most likely consumers in Britain to make use of online bank accounts, if new research is anything to go by.

Figures published by the Payments Council show that more than half (59 per cent) of people in the south-east make use of telephone or internet banking, while such services are used by just 46 per cent of residents in the north-east.

Meanwhile, consumers in the West Midlands are revealed to be the least likely to be in possession of a plastic card - which could include debit or credit cards - with 86 per cent of people having at least one.

This rises to 97 per cent among those in the south-east, while less than a third of all Britons use cheques.

Communications director Sandra Quinn points out: "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."

Speaking earlier this week, moneymagpie.com founder Jasmine Birtles pointed out that people should use internet banking on a regular basis, not only to check what money is going in and out of their current account, but also to ensure they have not fallen victim to credit fraudsters.

By Nate Sawyer