Couples are collectively spending £4 billion a year from their joint accounts without telling their partner.

More than two-thirds of people admit they have raided a joint account in order to finance treats for themselves, such as new clothes, tickets to sporting events or nights out with friends, according to internet bank Cahoot.

Four out of ten people said they were happy to dip into the joint account without checking with their partner first, while 12 per cent would check just before they paid for something and 11 per cent would only confess once they had spent the money.

Women are slightly more likely to raid the joint account than men, with 51 per cent admitting they had treated themselves without telling their partner, compared with 41 per cent of men.

But 86 per cent of those questioned said they did not discuss how money from the joint account was spent with their partner.

Almost four out of ten couples pay the same amount into a joint account, while 32 per cent contribute amounts relative to their income.

Psychotherapist Christine Webber said: "I believe couples could keep their relationships on a much more even keel if they learnt to discuss money calmly and rationally.

"That way they would iron out minor disagreements or differences of opinion long before they ballooned into major arguments.

"Deciding early on in a relationship whether or not to have a joint account - and then what it should be used for - could keep couples out of the divorce courts."

Wednesday October 22, 2003