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Medical bills for British holidaymakers who fall ill abroad have almost doubled in the last decade with average claims costing over £900.

But six million Britons are still failing to take out travel insurance before they head off on their holiday.

Despite fears of theft, lost luggage and missed flights, research shows that illness and injury are the most common reasons for a travel insurance claim for holidaymakers.

Health problems: Illness and injury are the biggest causes of claims among British travellers on holiday

The figures also show that the countries where the most claims happen are Spain, Egypt and Turkey, while the highest bills for medical treatment occur in the US and Canada.

And while many associate high medical bills with serious health problems, it is actually everyday illnesses that can cause the biggest problems, with unexpectedly high bills for treatment.

An analysis of claims in the last 12 months by Debenhams travel insurance shows that bills have almost doubled over the last decade.

An average medical claim now costs over £900, rising to just under £1,000 for travellers aged 65 and older, but can shoot up if a hospital stay is necessary.

The average non-medical travel insurance claim is less than half of that, at just over £400.

The highest medical pay out over the last year was for over £1.5 million. This was for a woman who received treatment after suffering a brain injury in California and was flown home by air ambulance.

Necessity: Six million Britons are travelling abroad without insurance, despite the average cost of medical claims doubling to more than £900

But, surprisingly, the study revealed that the top medical condition for generating claims proved to be Gastroenteritis - which is a stomach bug.

While many would dismiss this as a 24 hour inconvenience, it can lead to dehydration and hospitalisation.

One holidaymaker who fell ill in America would have faced a whopping £100,000 debt after treatment had they not taken out insurance.

The second most common problem was injuries to knees and lower legs, followed by head injuries.

Ear infections were also prevalent, along with heart conditions and allergic reactions, back pain, animal and insect bites.

All the apparently minor ailments could prove costly abroad with an overnight hospital stay in Spain following an allergic reaction resulting in a £3,000 bill and treatment for a broken leg in America costing as much as £40,000.

Despite rising medical fees around one in four holidaymakers (24 per cent), roughly six million a year, still take the gamble of travelling uninsured, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Debenhams Director of Personal Finance, Mike Hazell, said: 'Despite the risks, many holidaymakers still consider travel insurance to be a luxury; this really is one area where it is not worth trying to cut financial corners. Medical treatment abroad, for even the less serious illnesses, can result in very large bills.'

Figures from the Association of British Insurers reveal that travel insurers come to the aid of 4,600 people a week needing emergency medical treatment while abroad, at a cost of £4 million a week.

The latest industry reports also show that medical costs represented 56 per cent of travel insurance claims in 2012, with the costs relative to claims rising sharply.