White is still the most popular colour for van drivers

White is still the most popular colour for van drivers and has remained the number one choice over the past decade according to new research.

White light goods vehicles dominate the roads but the study by Direct Line for Business also found the biggest increase in sales has been in silver-coloured vans - up by 8% in the past decade - while there has been a 4% fall in red vans.

The research also found that there are more vans on our roads than ever, with the number registered in Britain increasing by more than 700,000 since 2003 to 3.3 million in 2013.

Darlington was Britain's van capital in 2013, with 611 vans registered for every 1000 residents in the town, compared to 68 per 1000 nationally.

So even though Labour MP Emily Thornberry appeared to poke fun and then had to resign after tweeting a photograph of a white van outside a house in Rochester and Strood, it seems 'white van man' is here to stay.