Families spending less on transport - new figures revealed

THE LATEST Family Spending data shows that UK households spent £489 on average per week in 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Once inflation is taken into account, average spending has decreased since 2006 when households spent £526.40.

Transport has seen the biggest spending reduction taking inflation into account, falling from £87.10 per week in 2001/2002 to £64.10 in 2012 despite the price of petrol increasing substantially over this period.

The ONS said it was likely that motorists had responded to fuel price increases by reducing journeys while noting that spending on petrol (£16.40) combined with diesel (£8.20) accounted for almost two fifths of the transport costs.

It said fuel efficiency of vehicles had also improved and diesel engines had become more popular, enabling motorists to offset the impact of rising prices.

More on average was spent on second-hand cars and vans (£11.90 per week) than new cars and vans (£4.70 per week), while £10.50 was spent on transport services such as rail, tube and bus fares.

By Josie Clarke, Press Association