Brits face 'cost of loving crisis' as Valentine's Day celebrations bill ...

Brits have been left facing a Valentine’s Day nightmare as soaring inflation means smitten couples will have to fork out more for romantic gifts.

The average cost of celebrating Valentine’s Day has risen to £159 this year, as the bill for treats like chocolates, red roses and three-course meals rose.

Analysis by the Lib Dems of the "cost of loving crisis" found the average price for February 14 celebrations had risen by 6.8%, up from £148 last year.

Inflation is at one of the highest rates in 40 years, dipping from 10.7% in November to 10.5% in December according to the latest Consumer Prices Index (CPI) data.

This means prices are still rising but slightly less sharply than before.

The cost of a bouquet of flowers sits at £25 - a rise of more than 6% since last year - while the price of a box of chocolates has surged by more than 10% to £17.50, the analysis found.

A romantic date at a restaurant will set couples back £27.63 each, a 9.39% increase on last year, while a trip to the cinema will cost £23,20, up almost 7%.

It comes as Brits face soaring energy bills, which are set to surge again for many households in April when Government support is due to end.

Lib Dem business spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Love may be in the air for couples this Valentine’s Day, but there’s none reserved for this Conservative Government who’ve plunged us into a cost of loving crisis and made celebrating the occasion an unaffordable luxury.

“Instead of candlelit dinners at home being reserved for a romantic occasion, they’ve become a grim reality as couples struggle to pay their energy bills, let alone find the money for a date night.

“This Conservative Government is catfishing the nation, they give nothing but empty promises and behind their confident facade, they have failed to tackle inflation and they have absolutely no plan for growth.”