Holidays abroad 'more costly than last year'

The number of Brits planning to spend their summer at home in the garden and conservatory may increase after it was revealed the pound has fallen dramatically against many major currencies in the last year.

A Sainsbury's Bank study found UK holidaymakers are getting significantly less for their money now than in June 2008.

Indeed, only in Turkey are they getting a better deal, with the pound having strengthened 2.1 per cent against the lira.

However, it has dropped 17.74 per cent against the dollar and 8.29 per cent against the euro.

"Sadly, the fall in value of the pound means that holidaymakers may need to exchange more money than they did last year," explained head of Sainsbury's Travel Money Sam Marrs.

Examples of other currencies the pound has fallen against include the South African rand, the Thai baht and the Egyptian pound.

Those who do decide to invest in a conservatory to make the best of the UK summer may be interested to hear it is perceived as one of the top three space-adding improvements in terms of adding value to a property, according to a recent Halifax survey.