Nearly a quarter are overweight and the number of alcohol related deaths has more than doubled since the early nineties, the Office for National Statistics revealed.

The latest edition of the Social Trends report also reveals that one-in-five men and one-in-seven women over 16 drink more than double the recommended daily allowance of alcohol once a week.

Spending on social security has more than doubled since the late 1970s to £152 billion. Sixty per cent of this is paid to people of state pension age, reflecting our ageing population.