The average Black Friday shopper splurges over £200 on tech they do not need, with Brits spending a whopping £3.5bn on gadgets that will be discarded or unusused within week.

In the survey carried out by second-hand electronics buy and sell specialist CeX, only a third of the 2,000 UK adults questioned claim they ‘very much’ need the items they bought during Black Friday, meaning only £1.5 billion of the purchases are strictly necessary.

The research also revealed that a fifth only use their new tech for about four months after purchase, and over a third buy items just to stay up-to-date with the latest trends.

Jonathan Cronin, senior manager and CeX expert said the company was on a mission to save people money and help them buy affordable, useful tech.

"Our research shows that much of what’s bought ends up discarded within months, and over £3.5 billion worth of unnecessary items are destined to gather dust.

"That’s why we’ve introduced our 5-year warranty and sent a rubbish lorry through London — to help people make more mindful choices and keep their purchases in use for longer.”

“There can be a worry attached to buying second-hand products – especially in huge sales such as Black Friday."