Joining the European single currency would cost the UK more than £36bn, according to new figures.

That is 4.2% of gross domestic product.

And most businesses have no plans to prepare for entry, says the anti-euro campaign group, Business for Sterling.

Accountants have analysed the government's National Changeover Plan to estimate the one-off cost to the public and private sectors of joining the currency.

Nick Herbert of Business for Sterling said: "The government's euro strategy turned on persuading business to prepare for early entry. But business has comprehensively rejected the National Changeover Plan, which is simply divorced from their real concerns.

'Appalling diversion'

"The £36bn cost of the plan would be an appalling diversion of resources from a far greater business priority, the development of e-commerce."

A telephone survey of 1,000 chief executives found that 90% of businesses felt little or no impact from the launch of the euro last year, while 87% said they would not make significant preparations ahead of a referendum on UK entry.

The survey suggested that 73% of all the businesses polled opposed entry, up from 63% in March last year.

"It is now clear that neither business nor the public wants the euro. The government should drop the plan and end uncertainty by ruling out joining the euro for the foreseeable future - or at least in the next parliament," said Mr Herbert.