This is unlikely to have been a Christmas gift from a woman to her man

EAST LONDONERS are the least generous at Christmas, according to research by Debenhams, the West End department store. Forty per cent of them believe they can cut the cost of presents to less than £400 and 11% of them will spend less than £200.

People in E postcodes, however, have the fewest friends on their recipient list. Almost 3 out of 10 say they have only five people expecting presents from them which, says Elena Antoniou, of Debenhams, suggests they may not be Scrooges.

The most generous shoppers live in the south of the capital. More than 6 out of 10 will lay out at least £600 on seasonal gifts at Christmas.

London men will spend an average of £164 on their partners this year – almost 10% more than the national figure of £150. Women spend, on average, £105, and more in West London, where they splash out at least £120 o make their partners happy on Christmas morn.

Only 7% of women would buy a gadget for their partner at Christmas, probably because men, the survey found, prefer to buy their own electronic gizmos.

The most frightening words for men are “Surprise me”. More than 80% of males say they like to be told what to buy for loved ones.

* Debenhams, 334-348 Oxford Street W1C 1JG