WORCESTER is the clumsiest city in the UK, a national survey has found.

Every year, about 2.7 million people end up in hospital as a result of an accident in the home and the survey found four out of 10 people in the UK admitted to injuring themselves due to clumsiness, while one in 20 owned up to hurting someone else.

In Worcester, 42.9 per cent of people in the Faithful City admitted to being clumsy, with women more likely to own up to clumsiness.

In the last year almost 5,000 people – 2,484 women and 2,476 men – were admitted to Worcestershire Royal Hospital with fractures or broken bones while doctors also treated 414 patients with burns caused by accidents involving candles, stoves, candles and other household items.

The survey was carried out by price comparison website Confused.com.

Discipline leader in physiology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School Dr Harry Witchel conducted the research by carrying out a series of scientific experiments on 2,000 men and women to test clumsy traits and behaviour and said there are three broad causes of clumsiness – poor decision making, insufficient concentration and poor coordination.

“While there is potential for these factors to affect both sexes, there is evidence to suggest a possible bias towards women when it comes to being clumsy,” he said.

“A key element of distraction is multi-tasking – something which women have a clear propensity for. They are far more likely to multitask than men, who prefer singular, intense focus on a task, and this role in society for women to multi-task can be identified as a reason why they are more likely than men to describe themselves as clumsy.

“Clumsy behaviour can clearly arise in all of us, and the key to avoiding it is good decision making and paying attention to one thing at a time.

“Stay focused, and try not to daydream – or you may find yourself walking into a clumsy situation without even knowing it.”

Elsewhere, Portsmouth ranked as the safest city in the country, with just 22 per cent confessing to clumsiness.

More than 27 per cent of people have admitted spilling a drink on a carpet or upholstery while 15.75 per cent confessed to dropping a mobile phone or tablet device.

Young people are four times more likely than over-55s to be clumsy as a result of nervousness around the opposite sex while tiredness is also a major cause of clumsiness, with 41 per cent of Brits saying they are more clumsy first thing in the morning or late at night.

Confused.com’s head of home insurance, Gareth Lane, said: “Accidents will happen – but it’s a sobering thought that millions of people are admitted to hospital every year because of clumsy behaviour in the home.

“And while we all have our clumsy moments, it’s important to understand the factors that can cause clumsiness, to help reduce accidents.”

Could you be the clumsiest person in Worcester? Do you know someone who might fit the bill? Drop us a line at news@worcesternews.co.uk.