We hate all the pies! Britons spending more on keeping fit

SHOPPERS are ditching pork pies and investing in keeping fit, according to a study of the nation’s spending habits.

The review found people are spending more on sport and fitness activities along with gadgets and less on nightclub admissions.

The changes are reflected in the Office for National Statistics’s “inflation shopping basket”, used to show what goods and services Britons are spending their money on.

Strap-on cameras that can record cycling or skiing and children’s soft play areas both appear in the goods and services basket. Women’s exercise leggings are also included, in a sign the population is spending more on keeping active.

Raspberries, quiche, ready-made mashed potato, body lotion and high chairs have also made their way into the cost of living basket.

But pork pies were removed, along with Edam cheese, peaches, nectarines, leg waxing and ATM charges.

Nightclub admissions and bottles of lager bought in nightclubs have also been given the boot to reflect the sharp fall in the number of nightclub venues across the country.

Digital camcorders have been taken out due to the rise of smartphones used to take photos and videos. The digital revolution has also caused TV receivers to be replaced by digital media players made by Apple, Google and Amazon.

Workouts and fitness activities appear to be exerting a greater influence on British economic data. Last month, the ONS pointed to increased sports equipment sales as a major support for the country’s retail sales.

ONS senior statistician Philip Gooding said: “Every year we add new items to the basket to ensure that it reflects modern spending habits.

“We also update the weight each item has to ensure the overall inflation numbers reflect shoppers’ experiences of inflation.

“However, while we add and remove a number of items each year, the overall change is actually quite small. This year we changed 36 items out of a total basket of 714.”

The basket of goods reflects contemporary habits and technology to calculate the changing cost of living, as measured by the inflation rate.