As the January sales get underway, millions of shoppers may find they get less than they bargained for, due to poor maths skills.

The government says that 14.9 million adults in England don't have the numeracy level expected of an 11 year old and may struggle to work out even basic deals like “20% off” or “buy one, get the second half-price.”

To help highlight poor numeracy skills, 'Get On' campaign teams have braved the sales crowds armed with 200,000 sales calculators offering tips on savings and deals. Alongside a handy percentage calculator, the public were encouraged to test themselves on common discount questions to see if they could do with brushing up their numeracy skills.

For information on free numeracy and literacy training call the Get On Campaign hotline on 0800 100 900.