Biscuits are the favourite sugary snacks of Britons, new figures suggest.

Whilst the treats were ranked number one (42%), chocolate (41%) was nipping closely at their heels.

There was a gender divide in the survey, with chocolate being the overall favourite snack among UK women (44%).

But the poll found that men are also a fan of the snack, with one in 10 even revealing they have eaten their chocolate of choice on the toilet.

The poll results are released ahead of the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) challenge to the nation to give up sweet treats in March.

It also showed that 45% of respondents snacked out of boredom, a higher proportion than those snacking from hunger.

The figures suggest that the majority of people are most likely to reach for snacks between 8pm and 9pm.

Staying inside more was cited by over a quarter of people (28%) as a reason for reaching for snacking.

A generational difference was exposed in the way we choose to eat our chocolate.

More than 12% of young people (16 to 34-year-olds) have eaten chocolate with a knife and fork, as opposed to just 1% of the over 55s.

The survey was conducted as part of the BHF’s Dechox Challenge campaign, which asks people to give up chocolate for the month of March to help raise money for life saving research.

This year, the BHF is asking participants to give up chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks as part of Dechox+.

Emma Day, head of Dechox at the BHF, said: “It’s clear that the UK’s partiality to a sugary snack is at an all-time high so what better way to challenge yourself than to take on Dechox?”

“With the BHF in the midst of its biggest financial crisis in its 60-year history, we need fundraisers to take on sponsored challenges like Dechox to help us continue to fund life saving research into the world’s biggest killers, heart and circulatory diseases.

“This is a fun and personal challenge that will help us on our mission to beat heartbreak forever.”

-The Censuswide poll questioned 2031 respondents in Great Britain aged 16 and over between January 13-15. The survey was conducted as nationally representative for gender, age, and region.