Household spend rises to £531 a week

Regional differences in household spending across England on everything from rent to tobacco have been revealed.

The Office for National Statistics said average spending was £531 a week, up from £507 in 2012 and £524 in 2013 after adjusting for inflation.

Londoners spent the most altogether, £616 per household per week between 2012 and 2014.

People in the North East spent the least, a weekly average of £427.

And while Northern Ireland is mid table for spending, it comes out the highest for things like tobacco and clothing.

For alcohol and tobacco, the average for the UK is £12.30.

The South East spends the most per week on wine, £4.90, while Yorkshire and the Humber buys the most beer, £2.60 per household per week.

Northern Ireland spends the most in the UK on tobacco at £7.50 a week per households. In England, it's the North West at £5.30.

London spends the least at £3.20 per household per week.

Rent spending came to £28.70 on average in Northern Ireland, compared with £96.20 for Londoners.

For education, it is people in the East Midlands that spend the most - £17 a week.

The national average on clothing and footwear is £23.20 a week. Northern Ireland tops the UK list at £35.90. In England, it is London on £27.40. The West Midlands spends the least on clothing and footwear in the UK, £19.60 per week.

Recreation and culture results in £64.80 per week spent per household on average. The North East spends the least on books, just 70p per week, while the South West spends the most on their pets, £6.20, compared with just £2.60 in London.

The West Midlands spends the least on this in England at £56.70 a week but Northern Ireland spends the lowest in the UK, £56.50 a week.