More than three in five adults in the South West have never engaged with their pension, new data shows.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) surveyed more than 12,000 UK adults during the summer and also found only one in four adults in the South West aged 18 to 65 checked their pension in the past year.

Fewer than one in five people in the region discussed their pensions with friends, family, or colleagues in the last 12 months.

MaPS hopes to encourage people to check their pensions and engage in conversations about money with friends and family through the release of this data.

It comes alongside the service's annual campaign which encourages people to have more open conversations around money.

Its research shows those who do talk about money make better financial decisions and feel less stressed or anxious and more in control.

MaPS found just more than half of people in the South West find pensions confusing, and more than two in five say they do not know where to start with retirement planning.

Richard, 56, from Southampton, had never checked his pension, but after doing so, he discovered he had saved nearly £70,000 in his pension pot.

He said: "I didn't check my pension, so it was a huge surprise to find out how much money I had saved.

"I can now start planning for my retirement in a very different way.

"I would encourage anybody who hasn't checked, to find out how much is in their pension, and talk to your friends and family about it - I'll be telling everyone I know to make sure they check their pension from now on."

Paul Fox, regional manager for the South West at the Money and Pensions Service, added: "You can’t start being engaged with your pension too early, so whatever your age, make sure that you check your pension, and talk to people about it.

"Once you know how much you have and how much your current contributions are, you can begin taking additional actions.

"These might include potentially paying more if you can, or simply using the MoneyHelper pension calculator to find out what your pension savings means for your future.

"No matter how you do it; whether you read your annual statement, contact your pension provider by phone, or log onto your online pension platform, make sure to check your pension, and encourage others to do the same."