Forgetful Britons are wasting a total of £1 billion each year replacing items which they forgot to take on holiday with them, according to new research.

 

A study by Abbey Credit Cards found that people are adding to their holiday expenditure by neglecting to pack what they consider essential items.

 

It emerged that Brits deem their camera the top holiday essential, with 65 per cent of those questioned saying they could not do without it on a trip, followed by 56 per cent who could not cope without their sunglasses and 47 per cent who ranked swimwear as a must-have.

 

Beauty products such as hair straighteners were deemed an essential by many women.

 

With British holidaymakers forking out the astonishing sum of £1 billion pounds replacing such items, however, we should maybe all just take a few extra minutes this summer to ensure we've packed everything we need before setting off for the airport, commented Callum Gibson, head of credit cards at Abbey.

 

The AA recently stated that people heading off on holiday at the last minute often forget to take out travel insurance .