JOIN USDaily Express reported that one Briton in six had lost a phone in the past 12 months.
While many mobiles were lost on nights out in pubs or clubs, a considerable proportion of the 7.3 million missing phones went missing on holidays.
“Many of us now rely on the phone to conduct our personal affairs and work life. It is therefore more than understandable that the average person would be utterly devastated to lose or have their phone stolen.
“As well as being unable to access a wealth of personal information, the sheer inconvenience of finding another phone and starting all over again can be overwhelming,” Stephen Ebbett, of gadget insurer ProtectYourBubble.com, was quoted as saying.
A poll of 3,000 people showed that a third of them consider their mobile phone as their most treasured gadget.