Nearly one third of Britons believe there is a high chance that they could face redundancy over the coming year.

The finding comes in the latest workforce survey conducted by consultants RightCoutts.

Twenty eight per cent of Britons expressed fears about their own jobs - compared to just four per cent in Italy and six per cent in Belgium and Norway.

The closest country to the UK in the survey was the USA, where 27 per cent of workers feel their job may be at risk.

Jo Bond, deputy managing director of RightCoutts, said: "This survey shows that job insecurity is being felt most by workers in the UK, despite the recent fall in unemployment seen in UK government figures.

"Across Europe workers in some countries, notably Belgium and Italy, are less worried about redundancy, perhaps due to the existence of stronger laws protecting employees' rights in those countries."

The survey comes as UK workers are warned to expect further mortgage rate rises.

Speaking on Wednesday the governor of the Bank of England said households should prepare for a squeeze on their finances.

Mervyn King said the public should be aware of their personal debt levels.

"Households need to think carefully about the possibility that their circumstances may change and that rates may change. That is sensible financial planning," he said.

In the latest economic forecast, the Bank said: "Overall, the outlook is somewhat stronger than in August. Steady growth at home and abroad and diminishing spare capacity are likely to mean that underlying inflationary pressures will build gradually."

The governor also warned that house price inflation would have to ease if a crash is to be avoided.

"House price inflation has been well above earnings growth - that is clearly not sustainable in the medium term," the Bank's report said.

"The longer house price inflation continues to exceed growth in average household incomes, the greater the additional upward pressure on spending...and the greater the risk of a sharp adjustment in house prices."