One in 10 Britons are expecting to reduce contributions into their pension amid fears of an economic slowdown, according to research.

And many think they will have to stop making contributions altogether during the next year as a result of the gloomy economic outlook.

People expect to stop paying into a pension or make lower payments for an average of 22 months.

However 13% thought it would take them more than five years before they resumed their current level of contributions, financial services firm Brewin Dolphin said.

Some 12% of people said they would need extra money to pay for school fees or their car while the same proportion said they could be cutting the money they saved into a pension to cover increased mortgage repayments.

One in 10 said they would need the money to repay debt, while 8% said they would use the money to meet the cost of having a baby.

Other reasons given by respondents included funding a divorce settlement, paying for a wedding or holiday or saving for a deposit on a house.

Women were more likely to be planning to stop saving into their retirement fund, while those aged between 25 and 34 were more likely to do so than other age groups.

Charlotte Black, director of corporate affairs at Brewin Dolphin, said: "Given tighter credit conditions it seems likely that pension payment breaks will become increasingly prevalent as the immediate pressures of servicing mortgages and dealing with credit card debts take their toll.

"This will result in a further depletion of pension pots that have already suffered by the Government's decision in 1997 to remove tax credits on dividends in pension funds.

"Even the shortest payment break could have serious consequences for the income a pensioner has in retirement."

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