Hoarding Brits stashing £48bn of unused goods

Households piling up old kitchen gadgets, clothes, sports gear and furniture

Brits are a nation of hoarders, with a staggering £48 billion worth of unused household items gathering dust in the nation’s attics, spare rooms and garages, according to a new study.

Researchers found the typical household has accumulated £1,784 worth of useless stuff.

It includes slow cookers, blenders and last season’s jackets.

“New Year, New You” technology such as heart monitors and rowing machines are also popular items to hold on to without using.

Vinyl records, golf clubs, Barbie dolls and punch bags are among the items British households have stored in their lofts, sheds and spare rooms.

As many as two thirds of adults claimed their house is full of items they never or rarely use, with nearly a quarter saying their attic has become the place to store their unwanted belongings.

A further 63% admit their shed and garage are also full of toys, camping equipment and tools they haven’t used or touched in years.

Dart boards, snooker tables, swing ball sets and tennis rackets are also gathering dust and are ripe for reselling to .

The survey of 1,500 adults conducted by eBay revealed 28% of Brits own a DVD player they don’t use.

And, surprisingly, nearly one in five (19%) are still clinging to their nearly obsolete VHS player.

More than one in twenty are hanging on to their step, used for step aerobics in the late eighties.

Many respondents (32%) like to have a clear out every year, but one in ten only sort out their belongings when they move house.

More than half of those polled said May, with its two bank holidays, is the month they look to start selling unwanted winter clothes to make room for a new summer purchases.

New buys include outdoor furniture, paddling pools, holidays and a new summer wardrobe.

Data from eBay for 2016 and 2017, reveals that on average 20 million listings go live across the two bank holidays in May, with the Monday being the best day to list items for sale.

Across the two May bank holiday Mondays, eBay sees an average of 262 million searches as bargain hunting Brits use their extra time to hunt for new summer purchases.

Nearly half of the adults polled said they frequently row with their partner about the number of unused items they have accumulated over the years.

Another 46% said they hang on to items because of sentimental reasons and 19% confess to being a hoarder.

A cautious 53% said they hang on to items for too long “just in case”.

Nikin Patel, C2C director at eBay, said: “If you haven’t used something in the last year or two it’s unlikely you ever will. Having a good clear out makes more room in your house and can make you a lot of money.”

Having a good clear out makes more room in your house and can make you a lot of money

Unused items such as old sports equipment, video players, vinyl records, dolls and tool kits are piling up around British households.