According to research conducted by Travelodge, the dishonest employees use the money to purchase a range of things, including home improvements, gyms, jewellery and cars.

Reportedly, the top three expense claim rip-offs involve asking for extra taxi receipts and using them to claim back false taxi transport, taking business clients to a cheap restaurant and submitting a claim for an expensive eatery frequented for personal use and claiming extra mileage.

"In today's climate, companies cannot afford to splurge workers on ridiculous non-work related expense claims, which are costing bosses over £1 billion a year," stated Guy Parsons, Travelodge's chief operating officer.

In related news, figures produced recently by salgadoinvestigations.com suggested that over a third of UK workers have stolen from their employers, taking items such as laptops and TVs.