41% of Londoners don't care about their pets

A survey from Carphone Warehouse reveals that those in the North East of England are the most callous about their animals; with the loss of their pet upsetting only 57 per cent, while 73 per cent of those living in the South West care most - must be all those retirees.

Quite why the rest of the population keeps pets isn't clear: some form of emotional attachment to the animals we keep around our houses is traditional; without it a pet is surely just a parasite.

But the purpose of the survey is to demonstrate how much people care about losing their mobile phone, and how much they would benefit from better insurance.

Forty per cent of Scots apparently wouldn't be upset if they did lose their phone - which might just mean they already have insurance, or that they know how cheap phones are to replace.

Those in the Midlands care most about losing their phones, but are almost equally emotional about losing their pets: 73 per cent and 72 per cent respectively, which suggests they are a more emotional people, but at least they care for their cats.