A survey from YouGov of 4384 UK adults also revealed that nearly one in twelve had at some point gone more than a month without a face-to-face conversation with another adult

The equivalent of the combined total populations of Birmingham and Glasgow will spend Christmas alone, the Salvation Army has warned.

The organisation estimated around 1.8million will spend Christmas Day on their own, even though they don’t want to. A survey from YouGov of 4384 UK adults also revealed that nearly one in twelve had at some point gone more than a month without a face-to-face conversation with another adult, not including a quick exchange with a stranger.

Responding, the Minister for Civil Society Stephanie Peacock MP urged everyone to check in on their neighbours, and ensure nobody was left behind in communities.

She said: “No one should face Christmas alone. This festive season I encourage everyone to look out for their neighbours. A simple conversation or a small act of kindness can be the lifeline that ensures no one feels forgotten in their own community.

“This Government is supporting local charities and volunteers across the country to help improve social connection”

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Those struggling included mum of two Sarah-Jayne, from Essex, who became isolated after being diagnosed with leukaemia, but was able to turn her life around when she joined her local Salvation Army’s Toddler Group.

The 41-year-old, who is now in remission from cancer said: “Some of my close friends didn’t really care after I came out of hospital and that sent me into a dark corner, I had to pull myself out of. It really made me feel alone. I didn’t want to go out and just stayed at home. It gave me anxiety and panic attacks.

“After a few weeks visiting The Salvation Army, I was asked if I wanted to be a volunteer at the toddler group and then at their weekly community lunch club. I lost the job I had before I was diagnosed but now, I’m keeping busy, I feel stronger every day.”

Across the UK, The Salvation Army’s network of around 600 local churches and community centres provide a range of practical support, expert advice and companionship to tackle social isolation. Another suffering was Peter, a 75-year-old from East London who suffered lung damage after working in demolition for 49 years.

Peter lives in a men’s hostel close to Poplar Salvation Army, and became homeless after his marriage broke down, and ended up in hospital with COPD and pneumonia and almost died Now attending the church for food and company and for worship, he said: “I come for the company and to speak to other people.

“The food here is great but it’s the people I come to see. It’s like one big family here, we all get on like a house on fire! I would be lonely without it. I don’t talk to many people in the hostel where I live, some of them don’t want to mix with others.

“The Salvation Army has been a refuge for me; they are the people who have helped me get my life back together. Without them I don’t know where I’d be.”

It comes with research previously published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine estimating 8,000 to 9,000 people per year in the UK lie dead for a week or more before being discovered.

The Salvation Army’s social isolation lead, Andrew Wileman, said: “These findings are much more serious than just missing out on festive fun. Connection is a basic human need. “Isolation is the main reason people give for turning to The Salvation Army for help and the need for belonging is especially strong at Christmas.

“We often find that a cup of tea and a chat with someone at The Salvation Army is the only meaningful conversation some people have all week. And social isolation isn’t just about people feeling lonely; it’s about people being invisible and missing out on the support many of us take for granted.

“Whether that’s someone unable to leave their house due to a disability, someone who has shut themselves away because unemployment has led to depression or someone forced to sleep rough because they have nowhere left to turn.

“Even among those who responded that they want to be alone on Christmas Day, we know from supporting vulnerable people that this can be a reaction to having been rejected or excluded. We can all do our part to support people who may be socially isolated by noticing if someone is not around or joining in.”

Earlier this month ministers pledged to halve the number of people forced to sleep on the streets backed by £3.5billion in funding.

The National Plan to End Homelessness has three key pledges to be achieved by the end of this parliament – to halve the number of long-term rough sleepers, end the unlawful use of B&Bs for families and prevent more households from becoming homeless in the first place.