Whoever said garden gnomes had had their day was wrong: there’s set to be a spike in purchases of the quirky classics among Brits eagerly getting their outside space ready for summer - and we have Game of Thrones to thank.

According to new research, one in five people (21 per cent) are planning on purchasing these and other garden ornaments this year, with an expected average spend of £236.

AA Financial Services asked more than 2,000 adults what they'd be buying in the next couple of months to get their gardens summer-ready, and plants and bulbs came out on top (72 per cent/£183), followed by gardening tools (36 per cent/£179), with large families set to spend the most.

Interestingly, those with the biggest budget for gnome purchases are divorcees, with an average of £404 set to be spent on such ornaments.

Warren D'Souza, Head of Insight at AA Personal Finance, said that the success of Game of Thrones may be partly responsible for the ongoing appeal of the humble gnome.

He said: "It might be May but winter is coming to a garden near you! Items like Big Mouth Inc's 'Game of Gnomes Garden Gnome' - a gnome sitting on an iron throne made up of spades and trowels in place of swords - have attracted popular reviews.

"Other items include novelty sculptures and garden ornaments such as cats and gnomes sitting on the iron throne.

"It seems the smash hit TV series will, in spirit, live on in some people's gardens this summer!"