The number of people trying to leave the UK and start a new life abroad has increased by 30 per cent as the economic situation worsens, according to a currency exchange firm.

But many British homeowners are struggling to sell their UK home, forcing them to postpone their dream move, the company added.

HiFX, which specialises in cash deposits for foreign properties, said that it has seen an increase of almost a third in the number of British residents interested in buying a property abroad, but the number who have actually made the move has only increased by ten per cent.

Mark Bodega, director at HiFX, said: "The fact that even more people are looking to move abroad this year shows that there is now a very real desire to escape some of the problems in the UK economy."

Mr Bodega added that an unsellable property could scupper people''s plans to emigrate permanently as visas tend to be valid for a limited period of time.

According to the Telegraph, 1.8 million people have left the UK since 1997 and less than one million have returned.

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