Image copyright Clark James Digital Image caption The 12 month trial policy will allow Glasgow nightclubs to apply for a 4am licence

UK consumers are spending close to £69 on a night out on average, according to a report which monitors changes in the evening and late night business sector.

Spending in January to March was up 15.5% on the £59.49 sum of a year ago.

The quarterly index is published by Deltic, which owns 53 clubs and bars.

Deltic boss Peter Marks said given the pressures on UK retailing it was "fantastic, and perhaps surprising, to see so many Britons feel positively about... local leisure offerings".

Spending on food was up 11.7% at £16.20, spending on drinks in venues up 10.3% at £19.25, and spending on transport up 32.1% at £12.02.

Revellers are also going out more, and staying out for longer compared with 12 months ago. Some 58.1% of consumers are said to be going out at least once a week, and the average night out now lasts four hours, 35 minutes.

More than half of respondents also expressed positive sentiments about their local town or city and the leisure options available.

That 54.2% feelgood factor rose to 60% in the 18 to 25 age group.

'Pressures'

But there is still demand for better transport and more leisure and casual dining options.

"This is surprising given the ongoing news of casual dining outlet closures across the UK due to a host of macroeconomic pressures including Brexit, business rates and high rents," said the report.

Personal face-to-face recommendations are the most important factor when choosing a night out, with 55.6% using it in decision-making, the report said. This is followed by Facebook recommendations, used by 25.8% when choosing where to go.

The Deltic Night Index was first launched in October 2016, when UK revellers spent £56 on an typical night out.

According to the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics, in 2017 just over three million people were employed in the UK's night-time economy, up almost 50% on the number employed in the sector in 2001.