Nine million to visit DIY stores this Easter bank holiday

The trip to the DIY store or garden centre is as much a part of the Easter bank holiday as chocolate eggs and traffic jams, as nine million Britons are set to visit DIY centres this weekend –spending more than £370 million in the process.

New research from Direct Line HR24 (Home Response 24) reveals that one in five of us (21 per cent) are planning to visit a DIY store or garden centre over Easter, with nearly one in 10 (eight per cent) planning to shell out more than £100 on tools, paint and other equipment.

But much of this spending may go to waste. The study found that more than a quarter of Britons have bought DIY equipment and never used it, with one in 10 (12 per cent) confessing to having equipment worth over £100 sitting gathering dust.

Paint is the item most commonly left unused (by 46 per cent of people who have bought items without using them), followed by screws (36 per cent), wallpaper and paste (17 per cent) and power tools (16 per cent).

The Direct Line HR24 findings reveal that nearly a quarter of Britons with unused DIY equipment (23 per cent) have been too busy to do the job that the tools were bought for, with more than one in 10 (11 per cent) blaming it on the weather being unsuitable.

However, the study also highlights that another factor in British homes’ tools surplus is many men’s enthusiasm for drills, sanders and other power tools. Twenty-nine per cent of men admitted that they had simply been carried away in the DIY store and bought equipment that they didn’t need.

Andrew Lowe, Head of Direct Line Home Response 24 said: “The Easter pilgrimage to a DIY centre has become a tradition for many people, whether they ever actually get round to doing the DIY or not.

“But we would recommend people consider taking it easy this Easter and look to hire a professional to take care of any home repairs that need doing.

Not only will they make the most of their bank holiday, they will also avoid running the risk of harming themselves or damaging their properties.”