You may be able to save even more on premiums if you switch your policy to another insurer.

But it may not be so easy for everyone. If you are in the Armed Forces, which is a high-risk job, or if you are overweight, you will probably have to pay more for your premiums.

A 40-year old man looking for 100,000 pounds of life cover over 25 years was quoted a monthly premium of just over 11 pounds by More Than. Everything was to stay the same for the entire term of the policy.

But Lifesearch points out that if this same man was obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30, his premiums could be 50 per cent more.

Matt Morris of Lifesearch explains, “The old loading for obesity meant premiums jumped by up to 20 per cent. That is more like 50 per cent today and can in some cases be more. People are being loaded earlier and loaded higher.”

He adds, “No single insurer will be cheapest for everyone. Those who have a high BMI or complicated medical problems should shop around for the best cover.”

Stan Mayden, 49, from Malpas in Cheshire, and just a shade over the recommended BMI level, had to do just that. His bank Lloyds TSB quoted a monthly premium of 29 pounds for 90,000 pounds of decreasing term insurance. This is where the longer the policy goes on the less the payout may be.

He and his wife Judy, 44, who works as a co-ordinator for a firm that provides carers, asked Lifesearch to help them find a better deal. And it did - Legal & General would charge 17.57 pounds a month for the same cover.

Stan was delighted. “Lifesearch looked across the entire marketplace and found an insurer that didn't see me as an increased risk,” he said.

“I purchased cover at standard terms, which means I will be able to shave thousands of pounds off the cost of cover over the life of the policy.”

NFU Mutual specialises in providing cover for farmers and businessmen in rural areas say that only ten per cent of people who live in the country consider life cover as essential to protect their families and 44 per cent do not see it as a priority.

Other statistics for country dwellers found that ten per cent value the feeling of community and another ten per cent live there to be nearer to their families.

Juliet Ward from NFU Mutual finds the figures about life insurance a bit alarming. “Perhaps those in the countryside think that living in a rural community means closer links to their wider family and friends, who could take care of their children if the worst should happen.”

But she stresses that this could be a risky strategy as difficulties can arise if there is no life cover when one parent dies.

“Life cover doesn't have to break the bank and it's not worth taking short cuts when protecting your family,” she says.

NFU Mutual quotes 9.27 pounds a month for a ten year life policy providing 100,000 pounds of cover for a non-smoking, 40-year old woman. A non-smoking man of the same age would pay slightly more at 10.91 pounds a month.