Love is a £25 gift

SONS and daughters splurged an average £25 on the perfect gift for their mum today.

People in the north really splashed out, with mums in Yorkshire and Humberside getting pressies worth £32.

But devoted children in the south-west spent half that, according to research by American Express. A bunch of flowers no longer cuts it, though.

The most popular pressie is perfume, followed by a gift voucher and then an experience such as a holiday, a trip to the theatre or afternoon tea. A spa treatment and jewellery also rank highly but traditional blooms or breakfast in bed don’t figure in the poll. The survey revealed that all mums really want is some time to themselves, with most complaining they get just 30 minutes “me time” a day.

One in 10 mums moaned that they do chores until 9pm while they juggle work, emails and family care.