The latest research from consumer magazine Which? has compared what UK consumers pay for certain products and services with similar ones in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It reveals that the country might not be 'rip-off Britain' after all, with UK broadband services in particular doing quite well.

The magazine checked the price of a basket of groceries and household items, annual energy and broadband bills, and the cost of a brand new Ford Focus with a year’s worth of petrol. It found that although French consumers get the best deal overall, Brits generally get a decent price on most things.

Spanish consumers get the worst deal and pay a staggering £828 per year for a comparable broadband service to our £429. Curiously 429 divided by 12 actually works out at £35.75 per month and we don't know many consumers who pay that much for broadband; business users or a niche of heavy surfers perhaps.