Honey, I shrunk the Christmas treats

Christmas consumers are paying as much as 25 per cent more for less, research carried out by price comparison website mysupermarket.com showed.

The figures averaged across six of the major supermarkets found across a basket of seasonal delights, every single item weighed less than it did this time last year.

A Yuletide favourite, a box of Quality Street chocolates, has been shrinking for the last three years from 1kg in 2011 to 780g this year – yet it costs 13p more to buy this year than last.

At the same time, a box of Cadbury’s Roses is up in price by 24p but down in weight by almost 100g from last year.

Snacking in front of the Christmas telly just got pricier as this year’s bags of KP dry roasted peanuts weigh less but will cost you 16p more.

While chocolate coins for stockings might cost Santa the same – they are 15g lighter than last year.

Kim Ludlow, managing director, said in a statement to Channel 4 News: “An increase in prices is a trend that we see generally happening throughout the year but even more so during high seasons such as Christmas and Easter.

“It is more important than ever that shoppers look around for the best price and compare prices before they purchase their favourite items for Christmas.”