Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix
FIX IT Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
NEARLY five million Brits fear their DIY efforts will go pear-shaped this Bank Holiday - with £512 million potentially needed to put things right after an amateur cock up.
A poll of 3,000 adults found 22 per cent plan to roll up their sleeves for some home improvements over the long weekend, but a worrying 41 per cent admit they've got zero confidence in their skills.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
With London taking the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, Ding has visited the capital to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend
Credit: James Linsell-Clark/PinPep
And when things go wrong, it costs an average of £106 a pop to fix a DIY disaster, according to the research.
The top flops include fixing leaky taps (15 per cent), toilet flushes (13 per cent), and decorating mishaps (12 per cent).
While others have botched bleeding a radiator (10 per cent) or mucked up repressurising a boiler (six per cent).
It also found London takes the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, with the average person in the city fluffing four attempts in the past year, splashing out £162 to sort the damage.
The research was commissioned by Ding, which visited major DIY stores in London to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend, and leave it to a trusted network of experts.
Chris Houghton from the home repairs service, which is offering three months free for those sharing a picture of their DIY mishap on Instagram, said: 'We all love the idea of saving money by doing it ourselves – but as our research shows, DIY can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake.
'With so much being spent fixing botched jobs, it's clear that our efforts don't always lead to good results.
'That's why this bank holiday we're urging the nation to down tools and leave it to our expert engineers, giving them a well-earned break to relax."
The biggest reason behind DIY disasters is a lack of know-how, cited by 31 per cent who have had a DIY faux pas.
As a result, 22 per cent had to call in a pro to fix their mess according to the OnePoll.com data.
Others caused cosmetic damage (18 per cent), sprung a leak (13 per cent) – and five per cent even caused an electrical outage.
We spent £70K transforming our 90s horror home into our Scandi-style dream pad but there's a bathroom mistake we deeply regret - don't do the same
When it comes to Bank Holiday plans, painting the home (31 per cent) and sprucing up fences (17 per cent) are top of the DIY to-do list.
While many are gearing up to pressure wash patios (13 per cent), put up shelves (13 per cent), or tackle a blocked gutter (13 per cent).
Chris Houghton from Ding added: 'Our Toolbox Amnesty is designed to take the pressure off, and if you send us a picture of a previous DIY mishap, you could win three months free cover.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Hisense TV with 'excellent picture and colour quality' sees lowest price in weeks
Amazon has cut the price of a budget Hisense TV to one of the cheapest prices this month Looking for a good TV for a great price can be tough nowadays, especially with all the choices and expensive options on the market. We've spotted a deal which could put one Hisense TV model on your shopping list. The Hisense 32E4QTUK LED TV has dropped in price to the lowest in 30 days on Amazon at a very commendable £159. The lowest it has been in 30 days. This Hisense gogglebox isn't the most flashy and only comes with a 32-inch 1080p screen, but it's perfect for a spare room or bedroom and even comes with Dolby Atmos sound. Brilliant Shark fan that's saved me this summer has £50 off as UK heatwave arrives' 63p-a-day supplement for menopausal women that helps them 'feel like their old selves' It also has Freely built in, which means shoppers can say goodbye to the aerial. This amazing platform allows watchers to easily browse and watch live TV channels and on-demand content in one seamless and intuitive interface, all streamed directly to their TV via the internet. It also has a crisp, colourful screen thanks to its direct-lit full array, which benefits from having a grid of tightly packed individual LEDs positioned directly behind the screen covering the whole of the panel. This allows Brits to enjoy crisp, vivid colours and deep blacks from edge to edge. For those looking for some alternatives, there's also plenty of options to choose from. There's this 4K Samsung 50-inch TV that is available for £259. It boasts a 4.1-star rating from reviewers and has been praised as 'easy to set up' with 'great build quality'. One shopper noted: "Very good price and great features and build quality." Shoppers could also consider a Sky Glass Gen 2 for those wanting to upgrade without a hefty upfront cost. Prices start from £14 a month across 48months or £699 up front, and plans start at £15. Reviewers have also called the device "absolutely cracking." The same reviewer added: "It's not the thinnest TV but is feature-packed. It's a good size and has a nice quality picture, as well as really good sound, too. It has more or less any app you can imagine. It's easy to set up and use with a fully functional remote control. For the money, you can't go wrong!" Another reviewer added, "Great value for money with this Hisense TV. The picture and colour quality are excellent, especially given the price. The sound quality is good, but could be better. But again, given the price, I can't complain. It's lightweight, quick, and simple to set up, and it has all the apps and features you need at the click of a button. "It connects to WiFi well, and the signal strength is great. I highly recommend this TV!" However some shoppers did have issues setting it up. One shopper added: "Legs were fiddly to attach. The screws for some reason weren't going in properly. "The ITVX app doesn't have the live TV feature, which is super annoying. Apart from that, it's a decent TV for the price but it's not amazing. It will just do for now."
North Wales Live
29 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
Half of Brits pack food and drink from home when travelling abroad
With summer holidays in full swing, new research released today reveals the extent Brits go to in order to bring home comforts with them on holiday, particularly when it comes to food and drink. Despite friends, family and pets topping the list of the things Brits would miss most when on holiday abroad, two in three (65%) agree that they miss food and drink from home. In fact, those travelling abroad miss familiar food and drink so much that half (50%) admit to having stashed items in their suitcase, with chocolate (47%), crisps (40%), cereal (23%) and bread (18%) being the most common things to pack or consider packing. With 40% agreeing that finding their preciously stowed food damaged upon arrival at their destination would leave them feeling disappointed, family bakers, Warburtons – who commissioned the research – has stepped in with a practical solution. This summer, Brits can say goodbye to damaged dough with the launch of 'Baked Baggage', a hard-shell holdall specifically designed to store bread in their luggage while travelling abroad. Forget souvenirs – Brits want their bread. 36% of those surveyed wish they could buy British sliced bread abroad, proving a clear market void, with a further 30% actively searching for that beloved taste of home when they travel. The limited-edition launch, which comes as part of Warburtons' summer partnership with the UK's leading package holiday provider, Jet2holidays, means Brits can finally take their favourite loaves with them, without fear of them getting squashed. The wider partnership gives shoppers the chance to win a range of prizes including a 5* all-inclusive Jet2 holiday. Jonathan Warburton, Chairman of Warburtons, said: 'I've always said there's nothing quite like a proper slice of toast in the morning, or a comforting sandwich at lunch time, and it seems our customers agree! It's heart-warming to know that even when they're off on their holidays, a taste of home, a bit of that familiar comfort, is still so important.' A spokesperson for Jet2holidays added: 'We know that every detail contributes to a truly memorable holiday experience, and for many that includes the comforting taste of home.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Virgin Media reveals HUGE broadband upgrade for over 56,000 UK homes with ‘fastest speed' available
BROADER BAND Virgin Media reveals HUGE broadband upgrade for over 56,000 UK homes with 'fastest speed' available Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOUSANDS of homes in a major UK city can now access "blazing" high-speed broadband. The huge upgrade allows more than 50,000 households to access one of the fastest download speeds in the country. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 UK workers continue to work from home more than nearly any of their global counterparts Virgin Media has announced it is rolling out its high-speed broadband across Leeds. In a statement posted on its website, a spokesperson for the company said the new service offers "blazing speeds of up to 2 Gbps with Gig2`". The spokesperson added: "If you live in the Leeds area, you can now sign up to our full fibre gigabit broadband, which brings download speeds of up to 2Gbps (2000Mbps) and the option for symmetrical upload speeds just as fast. "You read that right – two gig! "You'll also get top-notch intelligent WiFi that reaches every room, and the option to bundle in great TV packages with things like Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and Netflix." The spokesperson added the new service would be beneficial to anyone working from home. Rise of home working Since the pandemic, broadband firms have been wise to the uptake in the number of people working remotely – and adjusted their services accordingly. According to a report by Ofcom, average UK broadband speeds largely held up during the Covid-19 lockdown – despite rising demand from home working, online lessons and TV streaming. Ofcom's Home Broadband Performance Report revealed how broadband speeds changed before and after the lockdown measures came in – when there was a surge in broadband use. Download and upload speeds fell only by 2 per cent and 1 per cent respectively, according to the report. CHECK YOUR SPEED: Broadband According to the latest figures, UK workers continue to work from home more than nearly any of their global counterparts more than five years after the pandemic upturned traditional office life. In May this year, the Global Survey of Working Arrangements found UK employees now average 1.8 days a week of remote working. This is above the international average of 1.3 days. Virgin Media's roll out makes use of full fibre broadband to reach its top speed for anyone WFH. The spokesperson explained: "Full fibre means we run the fast fibre-optic cables all the way to your door – not just to the cabinet at end of your street. "That makes your broadband faster, more stable, and proper reliable, which leads to less buffering, no more slowdowns at tea time, and no more shouting at your router when you start lagging on your online game." Targeting the 'wheel of doom' The upgrade for households in Leeds is part of the firm's goal to deliver full fibre connection across the UK. "Leeds is one of the UK's fastest-growing cities, with five universities, a booming tech scene, and loads of independent businesses thriving. That's a city on the rise, and it needs broadband to match," said the spokesperson. "We're bringing full fibre broadband to the heart of Yorkshire so that more people in LS1 to LS29 can live, work, and stream without the spinning wheel of doom ruining their day." What is the average broadband speed in the UK? According to Ofcom, the communications regulator, the average maximum download speed across the UK was 223 Mbps in 2024. Compared to 2023, that's a 53 Mbps increase. This is well above what Ofcom and the government considers a 'decent' broadband connection – which stands at a download speed of 10 Mbps and an upload speed of 1 Mbps. If you don't have the technology in your area to accommodate decent broadband speeds then you might have the right to request an upgraded connection. If you're looking for a new broadband provider, we list some of the best broadband deals here. Make sure to click on this link for Sky specific deals.
