City is UK's fake tan capital

Forget designer goods or trendy shoes – when it comes to shopping on the internet, people in the West Midlands simply can't get enough of fake tan.

Last year, Wolverhampton consumers spent almost £14,000 on tanning goodies.

That makes this region the fake tan capital of the UK, with more spent on getting the orange glow than any other part of the country. Figures released by ebay today offer a snapshot into shopping habits.

Bizarrely, people in Norwich shelled out £2,661 on bagpipes – more than those living north of the border, who spent their cash on cuckoo clocks and punk rock records.

Northampton residents spent £348,770 on caravans, Southampton folk £94,015 on sofas and footie-mad Geordies £149,269 on sporting memorabilia.

Self-confessed "tanorexic" Helen Wilkes, aged 25 from Perton, said she had bought fake tan from the ebay site.

"I really like to have an all-year-round tan as I think it makes you look a lot healthier," she said. "But some of the lotions and potions are really expensive.

"I've got some good bargains on St Tropez on-line."

Other stats reveal people in Stockport spent the most in the country on CCTV and burglar alarms and Belfast residents spent £8,173 on binoculars and telescopes.

Swansea is the country's philatelist capital, with more than £60,000 spent on stamp collecting.

Liverpool locals spent a whopping £8.5 million on jewellery. London residents spent £5.5m on antiques.

Overall, people in Leicester spent the most cash on ebay, working out to £148 a head. However, savvy northerners pulled in the most profit with the people of Manchester pocketing £55m more than they spent.