Britain's plumbers are still stereotyped as too expensive and lazy, according to research carried out by In-Home 24, a group which maintains over 140,000 housing association properties.
However, plumbers' skills are still very much in demand by homeowners who do not know how to fix basic problems such as a leaky tap, the survey found.

Over 70% of respondents said that plumbers were 'too expensive' and only one in eight believed them to be highly qualified. One in six women said that plumbers were polite and 15% said they associated plumbers with 'bum cleavage'.

The majority of people surveyed admitted to having no idea about how to fix basic plumbing problems and would call in a plumber.

Jayne Ball from In-Home 24 said: 'This research shows the profession still has a long way to go in order to overcome the old stereotypes. Indeed, recent news regarding plumbers who have failed to be transparent with their pricing only underlines the profession's image crisis.

'As people have noted, plumbing is an essential service in the home - but it's up to plumbers in general to provide a transparent, friendly service if we're going to break down these stereotypes.'