How using a mobile can wreck your home

Mobile phone use can increase the risk of accidents in the home. Picture: Ian GeorgesonMobile phone use can increase the risk of accidents in the home. Picture: Ian Georgeson
Mobile phone use can increase the risk of accidents in the home. Picture: Ian Georgeson
A rise in multi-tasking and mobile phone use while trying to do other activities has driven up distraction accidents in the home.

Last year alone, £62 million was spent on repairs and replacements from such accidents, with the amount of distraction damage around the home trebling since 2010, according to LV= home insurance. The most common incidents occurring due to distraction, the report found, include staining the carpet, starting a fire on the hob and burning an item of clothing with an iron.

Those aged 35 to 44 have been the worst culprits for distraction damage – and are also the most likely to be heavy multi-taskers – averaging five hours a day on multiple activities.