Christmas carollers aren't welcome in Britain.

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

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

The poll of 2,098 British adults showed nearly a third would refuse to give a donation and 3% 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.

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" and has launched "The Christmas Factor" competition along with the advertising group ChurchAds.net to compose a new carol in the Christian tradition as part of a drive to stop growing disenchantment with Christmas carol singers.

The winner will receive pounds 1,000 and have his or her carol performed on their doorstep by the largest doorstep carol singing event "of all time", organisers said.

Bruce Rickards, of Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: "I think I won't be alone in saying that it's a sad state of affairs that such a time-honoured way of celebrating Christmas should now be seen so negatively.

We want to do something about it."