Britons receive unwanted Christmas gifts worth 2.1 bln pounds

The top three most unwanted gifts were clothing, at 30 per cent, closely followed by beauty products and toiletries, at 29 per cent and trinkets and ornaments at 19 per cent.

The study by on-line classified website Gumtree.Com shows the average UK adult will have received two unwanted presents, worth 43.50 pounds in total, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Those most guilty of giving gift bloopers are friends, who account for 19 per cent of givers, mothers, accounting for 11 per cent, work colleagues, 10 per cent, and mothers-in-law, 9 per cent.

However, when it comes to showing true feelings about presents two-thirds of British adults are too polite to say what they really think.

As many as six per cent will ask for the receipt, four per cent politely admit that they don't like the present and a brave two per cent say exactly what they think.

According to the survey, in the days after Christmas, one in five unwanted presents find themselves hidden away in the back of a cupboard.

A further 22 per cent are given to someone else as a gift and 2 per cent are thrown away.

Nearly half of adults would consider selling unwanted presents on-line, putting the money towards something that they really want.