The research by Abbey Home Insurance, shows that nearly one in five homeowners who have used a builder have suffered damage in excess of £1,000. Worst still, nearly half of the victims ended up footing the bill for the damage themselves.

Abbey is encouraging homeowners to take more care when choosing any craftsmen to work on their home, as poor workmanship, poor quality materials and defective design is unlikely to be covered in their insurance policy, and , as the research shows, it can be very hard to recoup the cost of the damage from faulty workmen.

Prasad Shastri, head of insurance marketing at Abbey, said: “The potential damage that could be caused by rogue tradesmen is staggering, and we are encouraging anyone looking to hire a contractor to work on their home to ensure that they have a reputable background.

“Using workmen who are less than reputable may seem like the cheaper option in the first instance, but you may not have an enforceable contract or any comebacks if the jobs goes wrong and that could end up costing a lot more in the long run.”

Regionally, Londoners are the biggest victims of ‘Bodger’ workmen with 26 per cent at the receiving end of a dodgy building job, in comparison to the North West, which saw the least damage.

The bank’s research also found that most of the damage caused by ‘Bodger the Builder’ was conducted in the kitchen, bathroom and living room.