It wasn't me! Brits blame others for DIY disasters

New research highlights how reluctant UK homeowners are to blame themselves for accidents at home.

Direct Line found that 18.3m Brits, just over a third of households, have suffered an accident at home with almost a quarter, 24%, blaming someone else for the mishap. The study found that the main reason Brits are so quick to say it wasn’t them is embarrassment, fear of the consequences and thinking they could get away with it.

Partners are the most likely to get the blame with 30%, followed by friends at 28%. If those close to you can’t be put in the frame then an act of god or unexplained phenomena, including ghosts, are blamed as culprits 24% of the time. Pets come next on 22%, followed by children aged 4-12.

The most common types of accidents were damage to walls and scratched paintwork, at 21%, spilled alcohol and other drinks on the carpet which happened to 14% and accidental damage to furniture, a mishap suffered by 7% of Brits.

The average cost to repair an accident is just £70.55, which is perhaps why cost of the accident is not a consequence that many worry about, with just 6% concerned about that.

Embarrassment was the main reason for those surveyed being reluctant to admit blame, with 15% citing this concern, followed by 8% who were worried about the consequences and 7% who thought they could get away with it.

Men tend to encounter accidents that are more expensive to repair (£70.85) compared to women (£62.95).

 Rebecca Clapham, head of household products at Direct Line: “When you’re attempting DIY, looking after the kids or merely having friends over, it’s incredibly easy and unintentional to encounter accidents in the home, some of which can be costly to fix.

“Our research shows people feel embarrassed or unable to divulge the truth on how the accident occurred, even when it’s often out of their control.”