London, April 30 : The average Briton only has three true friends, concludes a new survey.

Most people in the survey claimed to have 16 friends, but 48 per cent admit most of those people are friends ''out of habit''.

The poll of 3,000 Brits by One Poll also found that the typical Briton is left with only three close friends after losing touch with an average of 36 people over the years.

Over 50 percent of those surveyed said that their busy lifestyle was the main reason for failing to keep in touch with old friends, and four out of ten said they had ''just drifted apart''.

"It''s sad Brits feel they can only rely on three friends and that we lose touch with so many," the Telegraph quoted a spokesman as saying.

"While Brits claim to have more friends than they actually have, it takes something special to be trusted and relied upon.

"It''s important to have people we can confide with, but we lead such fast-paced lives it''s not surprising people lose contact with so many pals.

"Long working hours and hectic lifestyles means Brits feel tired and a real effort needs to be taken to keep in touch with each other.

"A simple text message or Facebook wall post is enough to let your mate know you at least haven''t forgotten them," he added.

The poll also found that text messages, emails and social networking sites - like Facebook and Twitter - are now the most popular ways to communicate with friends on a daily basis. (ANI)