One in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with faecal matter, according to new research.

Experts said the most likely reason for the potentially harmful bacteria festering on so many gadgets was people failing to wash their hands properly with soap after going to the toilet.

The findings of the UK-wide study by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medi-cine and Queen Mary, University of London also revealed a tendency among Britons to lie about their hygiene habits.

Although 95 per cent of people said they washed their hands with soap where possible, 92 per cent of phones and 82 per cent of hands had bacteria on them.

Worryingly, 16 per cent of hands and 16 per cent of phones were found to harbour E.coli – bacteria of a faecal origin. Harmful E.coli (Escherichia coli) is associated with stomach upsets and has been implicated in serious cases of food poisoning such as the fatal O157 outbreak in Germany in June.

Val Curtis, medical doctor from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This study provides more evidence that some people still don’t wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet.

“I hope the thought of having E.coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom - washing one’s hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives.”

Researchers travelled to 12 cities and took 390 samples from mobile phones and hands which were analysed in the lab to find out the type and number of germs lurking there. Participants were also asked a series of questions about their hand washing habits.

The largest proportion of contaminated phones was in Birmingham (41 per cent), while Londoners were caught with the highest proportion of E.coli present on hands (28 per cent).