Brits turning deaf ear to carolers.

MORE than half the British public is either unhappy or unwilling to have carol singers call at their homes this Christmas, according to the findings of research published today.

Door-to-door carol singers are increasingly unwelcome with nearly a third saying they do not want them, with nearly one in five saying they will not answer the door to such groups, online research has shown.

The poll of 2,098 British adults showed nearly a third would refuse to give a donation and three per cent would even ask carol singers to leave if they found them on the doorstep.

Almost three-quarters said carollers were less welcome now than they were in the past, according to the findings of the research carried out last month for Ecclesiastical Insurance.

Two-thirds said there were fewer singers now than ten years ago and only two per cent plan to sing carols door-to-door this Christmas, the survey found.

A minority, 41 per cent, said they wanted the tradition of door to door carolling to continue with 22 per cent saying they wanted it to end.

The tradition of singing carols in the street in return for a donation is thought to go back to the Middle Ages when beggars performed in return for food or money.

The specialist insurer said the results were "disheartening".