Mercifully, Brits aren't known for losing children down the drain-pipe (and we're all thankful for a happy ending in Jinhua). But remarkably, it seems a third of us have lost something down the plughole or toilet, ranging from cash to… clothing.
A poll commissioned by the AA’s Home Emergency Response service suggests that more than a third of Brits have clumsy moments near our sanitary installations, potentially costing millions of pounds in total.
The most likely item to be lost in this way is jewellery, which unfortunately proves to be the most expensive.
15% of respondents admit to losing a piece down the drain, which was estimated to be worth an average of £175, though sentimental value could render such a loss much more painful.
Among the other costly items to be lost included mobile phones, which one in ten said had found a watery grave, and keys, which 5% had lost at an average replacement cost of over £58.
2% claimed to have lost cash or even credit cards to the sink or toilet, while – rather worryingly – 1% of respondents claimed to have lost underwear or even socks to the drainpipe.
Women were the most misfortunate gender, with around 40% confessing to losing an item. One in twenty respondents reported that they had lost fairly costly items of makeup to the drainpipe when getting ready in the bathroom.
Precariously balanced: a third of Brits have lost something down the drain, with 2% losing cash.
"Our engineers tell us about the strange things they find in customer's drains, and it does make you wonder how they got there," said Tom Stringer, head of the AA's Home Emergency Response service.
Most people who ordered a callout managed to get their items back, he said, though some were rendered useless after their adventure.
“Luckily, about three-quarters of those who'd lost something down a drain had managed to get it back.
“A lot of the things that people lose - like jewellery and mobile phones - are expensive. They might have a lot of sentimental value too, or be difficult to do without.
"But even when those items are retrieved they might not be fit for use any more. Nobody wants to use a toothbrush that's been down the loo!"
(Mercifully, we add, the baby boy rescued in China is reported to be in good health following his own early visit to the pipes.)
Have you lost anything down the drain before? Was it valuable, embarrassing, obscure...? We'd love to know your stories. Drop us a comment below!
Keith McDonald
Which4U Editor
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