Only a small proportion of Brits are marking the season of Lent by giving something up, according to a poll.

It is a tradition for Christians to sacrifice something they love, like coffee and chocolate, during the 40 days leading up to Easter. 

But a survey by YouGov indicates that even most Christians are not giving something up this year – just 11% said they were doing so. 

This is a significant fall from the 20% of British Christians who said they were when they were asked the same question in 2012. 

In the wider population, just 5% of Brits overall said they were giving something up for Lent this year, down from 12% in 2012. 

Of those giving something up, half said it was chocolate and sweets. 

Nearly one in five (17%) said they would abstain from alcohol and going to the pub, and one in 10 said they were going without fatty foods. 

Eight per cent are abstaining from sex and the same proportion said they were giving up eating out and takeaways.