We're willing to pay billions for home help

LONDON - Pressed Britons would be willing to spend 3.4 billion pounds a year on hired help because they are too busy to do the chores, according to a study.

Four in five people want to hire extra help for tasks such as cleaning, receiving deliveries or doing the laundry, the Instant Access Properties report found.

And they would be willing to pay 615 pounds a year on top of mortgage or rent commitments for the privilege.

As almost two-thirds of people spend most of their day at work, thousands have trouble getting time off for medical appointments or to get a haircut, it said.

The report, a "Future of City Living", found that so many people pay for an extra pair of hands around the house that the industry would be worth about 3.4 billion pounds a year.

The survey found that almost half its respondents can't find the time to clean the house while almost a third struggled to do the ironing.

Other tasks that people would pay to have completed included home repairs, taking out the rubbish and watering the plants.

YouGov polled 2,068 people for the survey.