The data also revealed that a staggering one in four peoplehave injured themselves whilst undertaking DIY (28 per cent), which may explaintheir reluctance to put up shelves, lay flooring or tile walls.

Almost one in three homeowners (29 per cent) enlist theirlong-suffering partners and spouses, who are expected to roll up their sleevesand get stuck in to home improvements and renovations, whilst a further one infive (19 per cent) prefer to pay ?a man who can? and call in the professionals.Parents are likely to be enlisted to help too, with one in three of those intheir early twenties turning to them for DIY help in the house (29 per cent).

Other key facts about the nation's DIY:

    *Men are the mostaccident-prone, being twice as likely as women to injure themselves (35 percent vs 15 per cent respectively)

    *The worstoffenders for getting someone else to do it are in the North East (35%), withthe Welsh (55%) being the most eager to do it themselves

    *However the Welshappear to be the clumsiest nation (35 per cent), followed closely by the SouthWest (34%). However, ?Not-So-Handy Andys? in the North East (13%) are morelikely to have an accident that requires hospital treatment, which couldexplain why they are more likely to rely on the professionals!

 Experience clearlycounts for a lot ? nine in ten (90 per cent) of those aged 50+ have never hadto call in a tradesman to correct their shoddy work, whereas only 63 per centof those aged 18-24 could say the same!

advises DIY enthusiasts to make sure they do not try anyjobs unless they feel they can do them and to always take their time wearingsuitable clothing and footwear. And finally check they have full accidentaldamage cover added to their buildings and contents insurance just in case theydo make any mistakes!