Quarter of British adults walking an hour or less each week

A new survey has found that a quarter of adults in Britain walk for an hour or less each week.

That includes the time spent walking to the shops, work or school.

Government guidelines recommend adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity.

However, the YouGov survey for the Ramblers charity found that 43% walk for only two hours or under a week.

The West Midlands was found to be the worst region for weekly walking, with over a third (34%) saying they did not walk for more than an hour a week.

The East Midlands had the most enthusiastic walkers, with 59% of people meeting the recommended guidelines.

Over 2,000 British adults were surveyed by YouGov for the poll.

Despite the findings, most (93%) agreed that walking was a good form of exercise, although over half overestimated the amount of walking they needed to do to be healthy. Nearly a quarter (24%) guessed they needed to do more than five hours of walking a week to stay fit.

The poll coincides with Get Walking Week, which runs until 11 May and is encouraging people to explore their local area on foot.

"We want people all over Britain to join the walking revolution and take their first steps towards a healthier and happier lifestyle," said Ramblers Chief Executive Benedict Southworth.

"Walking is one of the most accessible and achievable ways to truly conquer this inactivity pandemic in Britain, and we need to get started now."