Nearly everybody tries a bit of DIY at some time and for sure, it is a good way of making home improvements economically but for some, the first time is definitely the last time.

One in five Britons said they had recently injured themselves or damaged their property or furniture while carrying out home repairs.

Men were more accident-prone than women, with 24% admitting DIY injuries during the past six months, compared with 20% of women.

Across both sexes, 5% of people had injured themselves while dealing with home emergencies, while the same proportion had damaged their paintwork, and 4% had ruined their carpets or flooring, according to consumer services firm CPP Group.

A further 7% of people had also damaged their pipes or central heating, furniture, electricity cables or glazing while carrying out jobs at home.

People living in Wales, the west of England and the South West were the most accident-prone with 27% damaging themselves or their properties during the past six months, compared with just 13% of people in the North East, although this could be because 40% of people in the region have never attempted a DIY job.

According to the Home Safety Network, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry, about 70 people die each year and a quarter of a million are seriously injured attempting DIY projects that go wrong.

Sarah Oram, of CPP Group, said: "Tackling repairs yourself might seem to be a good idea at the time, but not if you damage your property or, even worse, become one of the quarter of a million people a year who injure themselves in the process."