Britons are financial adulterers

Many Britons are committing "financial adultery", a personal finance website has claimed, with more than one in 18 having secret bank accounts that they do not tell their partner about.

A poll of 1,610 consumers by personal finance website Fool.co.uk also revealed that more than a fifth of Britons have secret lifeboat funds, with men more likely than women to have hidden savings.

On the surface, British relationships are financially honest, with three in five couples opting for joint bank accounts and 90 per cent of respondents saying that their partners know how much they earn.

Surprisingly, it was often the lower-earning partner that was hiding away money, with one in three of those with secret funds earning less than their other half.

Head of personal finance at the site David Kuo said: "Financial adultery may be a symptom of more deep-rooted problems that stem from poor communication between couples.

"Today's couples face a host of challenges. But just because they don't share their satin bed-sheets with people other than their partner doesn't mean they shouldn't share their financial spreadsheets with each other."