Quarter of Britons could access only £100 if unable to work

The study also shows that one in four (24%) households say they could only access £100 without further borrowing within a week if the main breadwinner was unable to work.

Results also found that the average household could only get their hands on £914 of disposable cash, less than two weeks expenditure of the estimated £471 weekly average according to Office of National Statistics data.

Aviva says that the figures also show Britons are drastically under-insured with only 37% of households covered by life insurance or critical illness cover.

The majority of Britons (59%) consider it their personal responsibility to cover any loss of income, should the worst happen.

This is more strongly pronounced in men, where 67% see it as a personal responsibility, versus 55% of women.

Only 17% of Britons see it as the Government's responsibility to cover any income loss due to a critical illness or death, and 9% would expect an employer to fill the gap.

Individuals could expect a maximum of £95.15 a week from the Government's Employment and Support allowance.

Louise Colley, head of protection for Aviva, said: "We understand the huge impact that a critical illness or death can have on a family, both emotionally and financially.

"Money worries are the last thing a family would need at such a distressing time, so we would encourage everyone to take the time to consider life and critical illness cover to make sure they have adequate protection in place.

"The majority of British people see it as their responsibility to cover any loss of income in the case of them not being able to work due to a critical illness or death, but most simply don't have enough money to see them through this period.

"It is worrying how little money Britons would be able to access without further borrowing, and how big the shortfall could be when we consider how much a critical illness or bereavement could actually cost," she added.