British consumers divide by gender when it comes to accessing and carrying cash, according to a new survey.

Statistics collected by YouGov for cash machine network operator LINK show that there are two main types of cash handlers – feasters and nibblers.

Feasters withdraw £100 or more each week whereas nibblers prefer to withdraw £20 to £30 two or three times a week.

Men are twice as likely to be feasters as women and more likely to carry more than £20 cash on them.

More than ten per cent of men who carry between £50 and £100 in their wallets say they need the cash to pay for their wife or girlfriend.

Women, on the other hand, tend to carry less cash with 40 per cent have less than £20 in their purse.

"The statistics show some very distinct withdrawal patterns between genders," Edwin Latter from the Link confirmed.