855,000 new phones end up in the bog

Almost as many left in the pub

Posted in Mobile, 5th June 2007 12:02 GMT

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New research from SimplySwitch reveals that while we buy 18 million handsets ever year, we're throwing 855,000 of them down the toilet and leaving 810,000 in the pub - contributing to the 4.1 million we lose or break every year.

Twenty-eight per cent of men admit to breaking or losing their phone, compared to 26 per cent of women. Someone is running 116,000 handsets though the wash every year, while over half a million are left on public transport.

Dogs chew their way through 58,500 phones.

SimplySwitch.com recommends backing up your phone numbers and taking out insurance - though you should check your home cover doesn't already include phones first - and notes that as phones keep getting smaller we're going to get even better at losing them.

Of course, the more unscrupulous might be tempted to take less care of their aging handset when a new model catches their eye. As with the figures regarding phone-related crime, a healthy dose of scepticism is advised. ®

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