Brits left cash-strapped by the recession are turning to charity outlets in a bid to make their budgets stretch further, a new survey has revealed.

The bleak economic outlook has prompted 13 per cent of Brits to shop in charity shops and some six million people are now reliant to some degree on charity shops, according to the survey of more than 2,100 adults by charity insurer Ecclesiastical.

It has, however, also encouraged more people to give away their unwanted items, with one in five (21 per cent) donating more goods. Women come out on top in the giving stakes, with just over 51 per cent of the women questioned saying they were charity shop donors before the recession and another 23 per cent saying they have started donating since the economy took a turn for the worse.

The survey found that charity shops have experienced something of a mini boom, with more customers coming through their doors and an increase in donations, while existing customers are stopping by more frequently, with almost one in five shoppers visiting more often than they did two years ago.

The five items most sought after by those surveyed were books (65 per cent), clothes (45 per cent), household items (32 per cent), DVDs or videos (24 per cent) and music (15 per cent).

When asked what motivated them to buy from charity shops, two thirds of respondents said support for the charity (66 per cent), with low prices (47 per cent) and value for money (44%) also being important factors.

Charities are still reporting a shortage of stock, however, with Oxfam, saying that donations have fallen by 12 per cent so far this year.

Steve Wood of Ecclesiastical Insurance said the number of new charity shoppers was "a reflection of the pressure the recession is putting on people’s spending power".

"We’re simply not hitting the high street like we once were so we’re turning to better value and cheaper alternatives," he said.

"This should be good news for charities who are seeing a decline in cash donations. It also appears that more people are giving goods to charity shops and that those who have always done so are giving more.

"This should also offer charities more support in difficult times.”