A survey from a British market research company shows what British people are most afraid of. Top of the list is heights. Over half of people said they had acrophobia – the medical name for the fear of heights. In second place was a fear of snakes, with 21 per cent of people saying they were "very afraid" of them. The third biggest fear was public speaking. Twenty per cent were "very afraid" and 36 per cent "a little afraid" of speaking in public. Other things include spiders, mice, needles and injections, blood, flying, and being in small spaces. Number 10 on the list was the fear of clowns.

The company asked over 2,000 people what they were afraid of. They had to give a score to 13 common phobias. The researchers said there were big differences between men's and women's fears. Old and young people were also afraid of different things. The researchers said not everyone was "created equal when it comes to fears". More women were afraid of things, especially spiders. These scare a third of men and about half of women. Young people were more afraid of public speaking. Older people were more likely to be afraid of heights.