Last updated 05:30, Friday, 13 June 2008

The average Briton is called Smith, lives in a three-bedroom home and takes holidays in Spain.

Mr Average: Mr Smith lives in a three-bedroom home and holidays in Spain. He drives a Ford Fiesta and cares more for the safety of his collection of family photos than for his computer

They drive a Ford Fiesta, are non-smokers, have accumulated £27,000 worth of belongings but prize their photographs most highly, according to insurer Norwich Union.

The group, which analysed 10 years’ worth of its insurance data, found that Smith is the most common surname in the UK, while the most popular house name is The Cottage and the High Street tops the poll for the most common street name.

People are most likely to live in a three-bedroom detached house that was built around 1946 and drive a Ford Fiesta.

They value the contents of their home at an average of £27,000 and are likely to make a household insurance claim every seven years, with women making slightly more claims than men.

People are most likely to have hi-tech items damaged or stolen, with a Hitachi television the most common item claimed for during 2007, followed by a SanDisk camera memory card, a Toshiba laptop, a Sony PlayStation and a Microsoft Xbox 360.

But despite the high value of these items, research carried out for Norwich Union found that 36 per cent of people consider their photographs to be their most prized possession, with 20 per cent opting for their computer or games console and seven per cent valuing their stereo or video.

A further five per cent said they prized their jewellery most, while four per cent said their record collection was most important to them.

Simon Warsop, of Norwich Union, said: “Our study provides a fascinating glimpse into the average British home in 2008. Contrary to popular belief, it reveals that we are a lot more traditional than we think we are.”