Average kitchen worktop no cleaner than toilet seat

British home hygiene is so poor that most kitchen worktops contain more bacteria than the average public toilet seat, a study has claimed.

Research by the Hygiene Council revealed that 85 per cent of public toilets were cleaner than domestic food preparation areas. In fact, the average kitchen surface had 10 times more bacteria than the toilet seat.

Only three per cent of Brits believed the home to be the most likely source of infection with hygiene advice for homes being generally ignored, the study found. The report also found that only a third of Brits wash their hands properly after sneezing, handling pets, before eating, before handling food and after using the toilet.

The Hygiene Council was formed to help combat the growing incidence of the spread of infections, such as avian influenza or MRSA. It is made up of some of the world's top experts in areas such as virology, microbiology and infectious disease. More than 10,000 people across 10 countries across the globe took part in the research that focused on basic hygiene principles.

It found that the majority of Brits are not aware that they could encounter more bacteria in their homes than in public places. Only three per cent believed the home to be the most likely source of infection, with hygiene advice for homes being generally ignored.

The Hygiene Council's panel of experts warns that not washing hands at appropriate times can have far-reaching consequences. This is because hands are the primary carrier of various germs and pathogens, including E.coli and Salmonella.

But bacteria can also be found in unlikely places like light switches, door handles, the kitchen chopping board and other frequently-touched surfaces.

Men are the worst offenders, with only 28 per cent sticking to home hygiene routines compared to 42 per cent of women, the report found.

The study also found that most food trays on baby high chairs were unacceptably dirty.

A staggering 60 per cent were found to hold Coliforms - bacteria that indicate a surface has been contaminated by faecal matter, raw meat, soil or unwashed vegetables.

Ironically, in all the homes tested, the floors were cleaner than the high chair trays - with 40 per cent of them clean enough to serve food on.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, member of the UK Hygiene Council, said: "Your home may not be as clean as you think it is. It's not enough to simply remove the visible dirt you can see with the naked eye."

Researchers also tested baby high chairs in homes where there were children under three and found that all of those tested were unacceptably dirty.

Coliforms - which are bacteria that indicate a surface has been contaminated by faecal matter, raw meat, soil or unwashed vegetables - were found on a staggering 60 per cent of the trays.

Ironically, in all the homes tested, the floors were cleaner than the high chair trays - with 40 per cent of them clean enough to serve food on.

"Home hygiene should be regarded as a scientific approach in its own right. Scientific evidence shows that simple and good hygiene practices can reduce the risk of illness and infection at home and in the community, so we must protect ourselves by putting these measures into practice," commented Professor John Oxford, Chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The Hygiene Council has formed to help combat the growing incidence of the spread of infections, such as avian influenza or MRSA, by providing recommendations on good hygiene to help the public.

The council is made up of some of the world's top experts in areas such as virology, microbiology and infectious disease.