A report from the European Commission found that 15 per cent of UK firms considered corruption to be a problem when doing business generally, while 46 per cent believed that corruption was widespread.

The report comes as part of the commissions Anti-Corruption Report into the €120 billion cost of corruption.

Despite the response less than 1 per cent of respondents said they had been asked to pay a bribe over the last 12 months, with corruption figures far lower than the EU average.

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EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said: "Corruption undermines citizens' confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law. It hurts the European economy and deprives states from much-needed tax revenue. Member states have done a lot in recent years to fight corruption, but today’s report shows that it is far from enough.”

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