A study has revealed that DIY blunders led to over £173 million worth of damage for next-door properties in Britain last year - with Scots causing the biggest bill.

Scots home improver's do an average £817 of damage to other people's properties according to a survey for Halifax Insurance.

-- Advertisement --

Damage to neighbouring properties ranged from demolished partition walls (party walls) to burst pipes and water damage. David Rochester, of Halifax, said: "More than two-thirds of DIY victims chose to pay towards the cost of repairing their home, rather than create a fuss. Perhaps they're unaware they could have claimed on their neighbour's policy."

Almost 595,000 UK homes were damaged.

(GK/JM)