Britons have been found to be lying about their weight, on their applications for health insurance; a tactic that could leave them with no opportunity to reclaim on their health insurance policies, if they need to.

According to figures from the health insurance provider AXA, around one in 14 people have intentionally misled their insurance provider. One in 10 women, were found to have lied about their weight and one in 20 people have not told their health insurance providers that they suffer from depression – a factor to the cost of health insurance premiums. People, who have been found out to be lying on their policy applications, may have their money withheld, due to their ‘non-disclosure’ of information.

Iain Mallon, head of protection at AXA, claimed that this was not necessarily the case. He said: "Most people quite rightly assume that insurance premiums are based on medical history and certain lifestyle elements," he said. "What people wrongly assume is that these normal behaviours and typical medical conditions are based on that of a perfect person, one with a healthy lifestyle and no medical problems at all."

He added: "Insurers are not looking for reasons not to pay out. Our business is designed to support people not constrain claims. However, quite simply if your insurer finds out you have deliberately not disclosed relevant information, they may not be obliged to pay out the full amount."