Men in West Sussex are among the top five big spenders on first dates.

A national survey carried out by Brannigans bar chain revealed West Sussex men spend on average £21.80 on food, drink and transport home on a first date.

It put them in fourth place in the country behind Essex, where men apparently have the most expensive first date, spending on average £24.60.

Yorkshire men spend the least, with an average of £9.25.

The survey, conducted among 3,000 customers, also showed eight out of ten women will buy something new for a first date, compared to just one in ten men.

More than 70 per cent of men and women aged 18 to 35 said they would happily go on a blind date but more than half the women questioned said they would take a friend.

The man who women would least like to have a date with is the character Jim Royle from sitcom The Royle Family.