More than three-quarters (78%) of women aged over 50 who are still working said they plan to continue past retirement age, equating to 4.1 million women if the figures were projected across the UK, the study from LV= found.

Nearly two-thirds of us could be eligible for higher pensions when we retire.

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) says that thousands of people are missing out.

They do not realise that having certain medical or lifestyle conditions could significantly boost their retirement incomes when buying an annuity or annual pension.

The NAPF estimates that about half a million people retiring each year are being short-changed, by up to £1bn from their total future pension income.

Joanne Segars, chief executive of the NAPF, wants to see changes to the industry so people end up with the best possible annuity for them.

Are you aged 55 or more and planning to retire in the near future? Then you need to get your skates on because new rules to be implemented in December could mean you receive less retirement income from your pension savings.

Until now, men have on average received about 4% more income from their annuities than women, because women tend to live longer. But the EU gender directive, which comes into force on 21 December, will stop insurance companies using the sex of a pension policyholder to determine the income the policyholder receives when they cash in their savings and buy an annuity. Insurers have said they will rely more heavily on other criteria, to underwrite annuities, including the type of work a policyholder has done and whether they suffer certain medical conditions.

"Around 427,000 households in the over-70 age groups are already in financial difficulty; either three months behind with a debt repayment or subject to some form of debt action such as insolvency," says Una Farrell of the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS).

"I sat there in front of my television thinking: are we living in the same world?" said Peter, who says her 1,000-euro monthly state pension is not enough to make ends meet. "People in this country want to take it easy, to retire early and lead a quiet life. But there are no guarantees in life."

A surge in the number of pensioners heading back to work has come about despite a reluctance by President Francois Hollande's Socialist government to pursue new reforms after the fierce 2010 protests that greeted those by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.

People used to work beyond statutory retirement age because they enjoyed the purpose and social interaction of employment. Now they can't afford not to. How should benefits adapt to, and protect, an ageing workforce? Emma Page reports.

Two out of five over 65-year-olds who are still working believe they will never stop - and most of them blame a lack of savings for their situation.

An estimated 1.4million people are still in employment although they have reached the age when they can draw their state pensions, according to research by NFU Mutual.

Of the half a million pensioners who are working and plan to continue, some 57 per cent can't afford to give up because they don't have enough savings and investment income.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies reckons the richest 20 per cent of the over-50s saw an average of £162,500 wiped off their assets.

The loss is a combination of the fall in the value of their home and the drop in the value of their investments, such as tax-free Isas and  their shareholdings.

The gap between women's and men's savings into pensions has grown in the past year, with women now investing £776 a year less than their male counterparts, according to research by Scottish Widows.

The insurer's annual Women and Pensions report showed that after two years of narrowing, the gender savings gap has increased to the highest level in the eight years it has been asking people about their savings.

The average monthly saving among women has fallen from £130 to £95 since 2011, while the average for men has risen from £174 to £185. A 30-year-old woman who continues saving at the same rate will retire on a pension pot almost £30,000 smaller than a male the same age.

Britain is a nation of Goofs - Gadget Obsessed Over-Fifties - with older generations now owning almost as much technology as consumers half their age, a survey says.

More than nine in ten over-50s own a digital camera, three in four carry a smartphone and almost a third play on a portable games console.

One in five uses a fitness app and 22 per cent own a PS3, Wii or Xbox said the study.

Pensioners will receive only a 2.5 per cent rise in their state pension next year after inflation, which has impoverished millions on fixed incomes in the past year, eased back at the crucial point the annual rise in the state pension is set.

The Office of National Statistics today said the consumer prices index (CPI) fell to 2.2 per cent in September - the month used by the Department of Work and Pensions to fix a rise in the weekly payments made to 13million Britons.

Millions of workers could end up automatically enrolled into high cost and poor performing pensions because employers do not get enough help in finding value-for-money schemes, a report has warned.

Since 1 October employers of large companies have been bound by law to enrol employees into a workplace pension scheme, with set rules on how much should be contributed

A startling UN report into global ageing has revealed that there will be more pensioners than children by 2050, when the number of people aged 60 or over will hit two billion.

Today's report, called Ageing in the 21st Century: a celebration and a challenge, also revealed that the number of centenarians will rise nearly tenfold from 316,000 today to three million in 2050.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said older people bring significant benefits to society, but warned that a spiralling population will spark major challenges for nations in areas like healthcare and pensions.