The rising cost of public transport also means more people will stay at home during the holiday break.

The survey found 22 per cent (10.8 million) of Britons will not travel to visit friends and family this Christmas because of high fuel costs, which rose 6.4 percent since the start of 2010.

The high cost of bus and rail travel has stopped an additional 19 percent of Britons from seeing some friends and family, and 16 percent said expensive airfares will prevent them from travelling.

"The festive season burns a big enough hole in family pockets as it is, so it's no surprise that public transport and fuel costs have tipped the balance for many festive celebrations this year," Green Flag spokeswoman Miranda Schunke said in a statement.

The average amount spent on travel to see friends or family for Christmas will be 49 pounds and the average journey time, 4.2 hours, according to the study.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

• A Permanent Economic Emergency