Britons are hoarding the equivalent of eleven Wembley Stadiums full of books, clothes and sporting equipment, according to figures released today.
According to a survey by LV= Home Insurance, more than 47.5 million cubic metres of clutter have been stockpiled in UK homes for more than a year, with an estimated value of nearly £50 billion.
One in ten householders has stockpiled over £1,000 of stored belongings, while a third have never assessed the value of their boxed-up goods.
A fifth of Brits are currently storing items for friends and family, and more than half of parents are running what LV= refers to as ‘the warehouse of Mum and Dad’, keeping the belongings of offspring that grew up and moved out long ago.
So why are so many people hanging onto items they’ll likely never use again? The answer, it would seem, is sentimentality – or at least that’s what 56 per cent of the sample said.
John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= Home Insurance, said: “Our research shows that we are a nation of hoarders, packing our homes with possessions that we just can’t bear to get rid of and even though we rarely use these items, we would miss them if they were damaged or stolen.
“Our advice to householders storing these often valuable belongings is to talk to your insurer and ensure you have adequate insurance in place.”
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