Festive Shockers

Feb 2010

Eight million Brits face a miserable or ruined Christmas this year, according to a shocking new study.

Burnt or undercooked turkeys, power cuts and even thieves breaking-in mean almost one in five unlucky people will have a glum Christmas.

And four per cent will have their Christmas Day completely spoiled.

The survey, which was carried out by TrustMark, the Government backed, not for profit quality mark for tradesmen, also found that seven per cent of fed-up Brits will even end up spending their Christmas somewhere else because they can't stay in their own home due to a household disaster. 

Roman Russocki, Chief Executive of TrustMark said: ''Many people get excited about Christmas Day, and a combination of presents, delicious food and being surrounded by family means it has the potential to be great day.

''After all of the build-up, it's awful when something ruins the day, whether it's a burnt Christmas lunch, a burst pipe or the boiler breaking down.  It's staggering to think how many people will finish their year feeling gloomy - it seems even with the best preparations, it could happen to you."

The research revealed the top five festive disasters to watch out for were:

• Turkey troubles: 12% of us will either burn or undercook the turkey this Christmas, with two per cent ending up with one so charred, it will be completely inedible.  And 6% will be lucky to have any lunch at all thanks to their oven breaking in the middle of cooking the festive meal, while seven per cent will also suffer a power cut
• Break-in baddies: 8% of people will have their house broken into, with three per cent losing all of their Christmas presents
• Soap-free: 7% of us will also miss out on the Christmas TV because of problems with the TV aerial
• Heating hiccups: 6% per cent will have to wrap up to keep warm after the boiler breaks down, while another 6% will lose the use of the shower
• Waterworks: One in twenty of us will be mopping up our home instead of opening our presents thanks to a burst water pipe or leak.

The research also revealed that six per cent of Brits will need to call out a tradesman to do some emergency repairs, and four per cent will be clearing up the mess left behind by cowboy builders in the run up to Christmas. And almost a quarter will also spend their Christmas fixing breakages and clearing up spillages in their home.

Finally, spare a thought for harassed parents - 15% will be left with fed-up children after forgetting to buy batteries, while four per cent will lock themselves out of their house.

"Whilst you might have to wait until next Christmas to cook the perfect turkey, when it comes to household disasters, if the worst should happen, it's doesn't have to be a total catastrophe.  With the database on our website, it's easy to find reliable and trustworthy tradesmen in your local area to come and fix the problem,"  adds Roman Russocki.