2.5 million Lego blocks have been flushed down the toilet by children aged under 10 years of age, according to new research from Direct Line Home Insurance.
The firm calculated that Lego bricks that disappear round toilet U-bends could build a tower four times taller than the current world record of 35.05 metres, which was built with an estimated 550,000 of these plastic blocks.
Over four million dolls, including the likes of Bratz and Barbie, have been flushed down the lavatory by under-10s. Pens and crayons are also a popular choice to meet a watery fate, with 4.2 million flushed away.
The research highlights the perils parents face as their children flush mobile phones down the toilet, deface walls and even feed £20 notes to the family pet. 12% of parents with a child aged under 10 has had their mobile phone dropped down the toilet at least once. One in 20 of these parents have seen their car keys flushed down the loo and 10% have seen cash disappear down the U-bend.
Items flushed down the toilet by under 10s:
| Items | Number of times item dropped down the toilet by children aged under 10 |
| Pens and crayons | 4,231,516 |
| Dolls (including Barbie and Bratz dolls) | 4,295,244 |
| House and car keys | 3,963,860 |
| Credit/debit/loyalty cards | 3,568,749 |
| Jigsaw and board game pieces | 3,313,838 |
| Mobile phones | 3,007,945 |
| Lego blocks | 2,472,633 |
Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2016
When not dropping items down the toilet, children are also causing all sorts of other mischief around the home. 50% of parents with children under 10 years of age have seen their children draw on the walls of their home, while 31% have seen their children scratch the furniture. Meanwhile, 29% of parents that have seen their children tearing wallpaper off the wall, damaging furniture (27%) and even going so far as to switch off the fridge or freezer (9%).
Household damage caused by under 10s:
| Household damage | Parents with children under 10 who have experienced this issue |
| Drawn on walls | 50% |
| Scratched furniture | 31% |
| Pulled wallpaper off the wall | 29% |
| Damaged furniture | 27% |
| Scribbled on the floor | 26% |
| Bashed walls | 24% |
| Stained floor | 23% |
| Put something in the washing machine | 18% |
| Scratched floors | 16% |
| Turned on a tap which has overflowed | 14% |
| Damaged socket (e.g. phone) | 11% |
| Scratched the car | 10% |
| Switched off the freezer/fridge | 9% |
Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2016
Morgan Simpson, Direct Line home emergency response manager, said: “Children love to explore their environment and are often fascinated by the idea of flushing things away. Whether it’s disposing of their sibling’s Barbie doll or their own Lego creations, children can cause huge plumbing problems in the home. Overflowing toilets and blocked pipes can cause significant damage to a home and neighbouring properties. It emphasises the scale of the costs involved when we highlight escape of water is the highest claimed peril by value that insurers cover.
“Choosing an insurance policy with emergency plumber cover can help ensure a tradesperson is available to tackle any problems and help householders avoid paying expensive minimum call out rates or out of hours surcharges.”