UK consumers are getting increasingly worried about their job prospects, according to a survey by Lloyds TSB.

The poll found that almost a quarter of consumers said they had less job security than a year ago, while fewer than one in five said they had more.

It found that just 18% of consumers surveyed said they felt more secure in their employment than they did a year ago, equalling an all-time low for the survey which has been conducted every month since November 2004.

The research found that about a third of consumers said they thought job prospects across the UK economy had worsened in the past year, just one in seven said things had got better.

Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, says:  "The combination of interest rate hikes and consumers' correct expectation that prices are on the rise means the spectre of unemployment is now beginning to weigh more heavily.”