Bounty

Most people in Britain would run out of money in a month if they were unexpectedly prevented from working, according to a survey.

Although 44% of people said they had savings to support them, the average person only has enough to cover four weeks of outgoings, said insurance company Unum. About 21% admitted they had no back-up plan to cover their finances if they were made redundant or became too ill to work, and just 10% said they had taken out insurance to cover them.

Instead, 25% said they would have to ask their partners for support, and a further 25% said they would turn to their families. The most prepared area of the country was Scotland, where just 16% said they had no savings or insurance to use, closely followed by 17% of people in the South East,

People in Wales faced the most difficulty, with 32% of people neglecting to make any financial plans, while people in north-east England fared little better - 24% said they were in the same vulnerable position.

Marco Forato, Unum's chief marketing officer, said: "A month is a very short time in reality if you suddenly find yourself unable to work."

Copyright Press Association 2010