Some 293 million functional appliances lie unused in homes across Britain, it has been revealed.
A study by
home insurance provider esure has suggested that as items fall obsolete due to new and upgraded models becoming available, consumers who cannot bear to throw them away simply box them up and store them.
Top of the list of products that consumers do not throw out is the VHS recorder, followed by old mobile phones and film cameras.
Popular reasons for not binning such items include "they still work and so it seems a waste to throw them away" (69 per cent), while 60 per cent of people hold on to them should their upgraded version break.
Head of
home insurance at esure Nikki Sellers recommended that homeowners should keep an inventory of everything they own, regardless of whether it is used or not.
The Association of British Insurers recently stated that around a quarter of British homes do not have
home contents insurance in place.
Consumers wishing to shop around for a competitive deal on
home insurance may wish to contact
InsureandGo to obtain a quote.