A tap-and-go card boom sweeping the UK could spell the end of traditional purses and wallets, sales figures suggest.

According to shops consumers are ditching wallets with space for coins and notes, for slim card holders, which have overtaken them for the first time as the most popular style.

The trend, which applies to both men's and - increasingly women's wallets - comes as they are carrying less and less cash on their person.

Instead they are becoming increasingly reliant on contactless cads, with households spending almost £4 billion using contactless cards in April alone. This is almost 150 per cent more than in the previous year.