Britons are allowing their manners to slip as chivalry becomes a dying art, researchers claim.

More that eight out of 10 passengers refuse to give up their seats on the bus, train or Tube, a survey by health care provider Simplyhealth said.

Around half of workers do not make cups of tea for colleagues while 86% of the nation do not offer to carry bags for others, it was claimed.

According to the survey of more than 1,000 adults, the main causes of people not bothering were lack of time and stress at work.

Jamie Wilson, of Simplyhealth, said: "Committing just half an hour a month to helping someone else can make a real difference to your life as well as theirs.

"As a health care provider, we encourage our staff to get active in the community supporting others – in fact we give 100 days a year to staff to spend a day helping at a charity of their choice."

Mental health expert Dr Christian Jessen said: "We all know that helping others is of benefit to them, but many people don't realise that getting active to help others can also improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

"Simple activities like walking the neighbour's dog or helping in the garden help to burn calories and improve general fitness, leading to a healthier, happier nation."

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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(Agencies)