FishPeople living in south west England spend the most on food while on holiday, according to a survey.

They fork out an average of £470, while East Midlanders splash out the most - £496 - on new outfits, luggage and toiletries before trips, the poll by Virgin Atlantic Airways found.

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Those living in south east England treat themselves to an average of two new outfits for their holiday, while Londoners buy an average of five new pieces of clothing before their breaks.

The survey of 2,000 people also showed that Britons spend an average of six months putting away money to pay for their trip, which they start to plan around three months before they depart.

The average price paid for a trip is £1,470, with favourite destinations including the Caribbean, South Africa and Florida.

Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman Janine Doy said: "Given the amount of rain we've had in the past few weeks, it's not surprising how much money people will spend to get some guaranteed summer sunshine. Holidaymakers who would have previously opted for cheaper destinations are trading up because they simply can't stand this weather."

Meanwhile, Laurence Hicks, director of holiday lettings company CLC Leisure, said 2012 was not going to be "the great staycation summer".

He said: "It's not going to happen. Prices for holidays in popular sunshine destinations like Spain and Turkey are just too good. The main motivation for a staycation is budgetary and holidaymakers can get a far better deal abroad this summer, even factoring in the return airfare. And if that's not enough incentive, travellers have told us that this year's lousy weather tips the balance."

Mr Hicks added that overseas visitors staying at his company's properties in Cornwall and Scotland and who had tickets for the Olympics were also keen to "see a bit of the countryside before or after their events".

He said: "They are not just going to turn around and go home. Most seem to want to extend their stay between three and seven days."