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UK homeowners are paying £1.5 billion each year to fix botched DIY jobs, according to research.

Almost one in six (16%) of homeowners have had to call in experts to fix their DIY efforts, costing an average of £280 and as much as £2,000, the poll for insurer Zurich found.

The poll found 10% of those who have made a mistake waited more than a year before correcting it.

Mistakes were mainly caused by inexperience (38%) and underestimating the task in hand or not having the right tools to finish the job (11%).

The most common DIY jobs were painting (83%), bleeding radiators (72%), renovating a bathroom (14%), fixing a boiler (9%) and rewiring electrics (8%).

The work most likely to need professional help included fixing boilers or central heating (26%), rewiring electrics (17%) and plastering walls (16%).

Steve Gilbert, technical underwriting manager at Zurich, said: “With so many homeowners trying their hand at DIY, mistakes will happen. But as this research shows it’s important to know your limits if you don’t want to end up out of pocket.

“Doing it yourself can be a great achievement but we would like to remind all DIY novices that they can often endanger themselves and their property, so if you are unsure always call in a professional.

“There are some areas, such as certain electrical works, which now legally require a trained electrician to attend to.”

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