Don't Give The Dog A Phone

Dogs have chewed almost half a million mobile phones and a staggering 700,000 phones have been lost or broken after being hurled at members of the public, according to a new survey released today.

Of the 43 million ^* mobile phones in use in the UK, 26% have been lost or damaged in recent years. 3.3 million phones have been dropped from a bag or pocket, but most surprising was that 2.4 million phones have been stolen and the same number have been dropped into water.

More than 1,400 mobile phone users across Britain were questioned for the MORI poll and were asked "have you ever lost or broken your mobile phone? How did this happen?".

British Gas Communications spokesman, Russell Craig, said:

Because so many mobile phones are advertised as free, many people don't appreciate their value.
They often don't insure them and, it would appear, that they are not looked after as well as they could be. There aren't many items worth over £100 that people would throw around and leave for the dog to chew.
Having just launched a new home and mobile phone package, we are keen to understand more about mobile phones and how they are used. We been amazed by the results of this research and would advise anyone with a mobile phone to take good care of it. Not just to keep it safe from thieves but also near water and dogs - and don't throw them at people!

Technical details

According to OFTEL Mobile users survey Jan 2001 - June 2001, there are 43 million active mobile phones in the UK.

The full results of the MORI survey are: 26% of mobile phone users have lost or damaged a mobile phone in the past. Of this group:

• Dropped out of bag or pocket - 33%
• Left in a public place - 28%
• Dropped into water - 24%
• Stolen - 24%
• Dropped from a great height - 16%
• Child damaged it - 9%
• Left on a car roof - 9%
• Dog ate it - 4%
• Left on a beach - 1%

Survey conducted by MORI. MORI interviewed a nationally representative sample of mobile phone users (1,419) aged 15+ across Great Britain . Interviews were conducted in home between 26 and 30 July 2001, and data has been weighted to the known adult population.