18 Mar 2025
National Toolbox Amnesty launches this bank holiday
Down the tools and join the toolbox amnesty.
National Toolbox Amnesty launches as 4.8 million UK adults set to face a DIY mishap this bank holiday1
Two fifths (41%) UK adults admit a DIY attempt is likely to go wrong this bank holiday weekend, with fixing leaky taps (15%), toilet flushes (13%) and decorating (12%) the most doomed tasks
These DIY disasters are predicted to cost the nation over £500 million, with a mishap costing £106 on average to fix2
Home repair brand Ding urges Brits to down tools this Bank Holiday and leave it to the experts
4.8 million Brits fear they will botch a DIY or home maintenance job this weekend, costing them £106 on average to fix, and totalling a staggering £512 million across the nation.
The research from home maintenance and repair brand Ding, found one in five (22%) plans to attempt some home improvements over the long weekend, but 41% admit they’ve got zero confidence in their skills.
Most common DIY blunders happen when attempting to fix leaky taps (15%), toilet flushes (13%), or decorate (12%). Others have botched bleeding a radiator (10%) or repressurising a boiler (6%).
In response, Ding have launched a nationwide Toolbox Amnesty, urging the nation to down tools over the bank holiday weekend, and leave it to their trusted network of experts.
A stunt saw the home repair experts take ad vans with ‘Down Tools, Join the Toolbox Amnesty” outside major DIY stores to hammer the message home.
They also travelled to London, which takes the crown as England’s DIY disaster capital1 – with the average person in the city having four DIY mishaps in the past year, splashing out £162 to sort the damage.
The biggest reason behind DIY disasters is a lack of know-how, cited by almost a third (31%) of those who have had a faux pas. One in five (20%) blamed not having the right tools, while 18% said the job turned out to be way trickier than expected.
As a result, 22% had to call in an expert to fix the job. Others caused cosmetic damage (18%), sprung a leak (13%) – and 5% even caused an electrical outage.
Chris Houghton at Ding said: “We all love the idea of saving money by doing it ourselves – but as our research shows, DIY can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake.
"With so much being spent fixing botched jobs, it’s clear that our efforts don’t always lead to good results. That’s why this bank holiday we’re urging the nation to down tools and leave it to our expert engineers, giving them a well-earned break to relax."
When it comes to bank holiday plans, painting the home (31%) and sprucing up fences (17%) are top of the DIY to-do list. While many are gearing up to tackle a blocked gutter (13%), pressure wash patios (13%), or put up shelves (13%).
To enter the Toolbox Amnesty, follow Ding’s Instagram account and post a picture of your DIY mishap, tagging @dingrepairsuk using the #toolamnesty for the chance to win one-year’s free Ding membership . Terms and conditions apply.
Top 10 most botched DIY jobs
1 | Fixing a leaky tap (15%) |
2 | Fixing the toilet flush (13%) |
3 | Decorating (painting, wallpapering) (12%) |
4 | Unclogging a toilet (12%) |
5 | Fixing broken furniture (12%) |
6 | Building flatpack furniture (11%) |
7 | Putting up shelves (11%) |
8 | Unclogging a blocked sink (11%) |
9 | Hanging curtains or blinds (11%) |
10 | Bleeding the radiator (10%) |
About the research:
Unless otherwise stated, data is based on OnePoll commissioned research amongst 3,000 UK adults (18+) in March 2025.
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1 According to nationally representative research by OnePoll amongst 3,000 UK adults (18+), 9.02% of UK adults expect to have a DIY disaster this bank holiday weekend. According to the latest ONS stats, there are 53,646,829 UK adults (18+) which equates to 4,838,943
2 4,838,943 expect to have a DIY disaster this bank holiday weekend, and on average a DIY disaster costs £106 to fix. This equates to £512,927,958 or £512 million
3 According to nationally representative research by OnePoll amongst 3,000 UK adults (18+), Londoners have had the most DIY disasters in England in the past year. Respondents in London are also the most likely to attempt DIY over the upcoming bank holiday with 28% saying as much.