A survey has found that Indians and other South-Asians living in Britain are more willing to fight for the country compared with the national average. And Hindus were the most willing candidates.

According to the survey, 43 percent of Asians said that they were willing to join the British armed forces, compared with 37 percent for the general non-Asian population.

Hindus were the most willing at 56 percent, followed by 51 percent of Sikhs, while 34pc of Muslims say they would take up arms in defence of Britain, said the poll.

The ICM poll, commissioned by the BBC's Asian Network, questioned 500 Asians and a similar number of non-Asians. The survey followed the death of Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi in July; the British Muslim killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

While they are more willing to fight, less than one percent of British armed forces consists of Asians. The poll has rekindled the debate as to why there are so few ethnic minorities in the army.