Brits drop 855,000 phones in toilet each year

Common catastrophes include leaving mobiles in the pub (810,000 handsets) in a taxi (315,000) or on a bus (225,000). More bizarrely, dogs chewed their way through 58,500 handsets last year and 116,000 went through a spin cycle with the dirty laundry.

The research found that over a quarter of mobile owners had lost or damaged a handset, with men more prone to carelessness than women. 28 per cent of men admitted to breaking or losing their phone compared to 26 per cent of women.

Karen Darby, from SimplySwitch.com, comments: "Of the 18 million new handsets bought in the UK every year, roughly 4.5 million will end up lost or damaged. With handsets now costing up to £400, and people often opting out of the insurance package, there's more reason than ever to look after your mobile."