British adults have revealed that they are not very handy, with many admitting they are incapable of carrying out some of the most common household tasks.

A survey of 1,439 UK adults, carried out by nationwide fuel supplier Emo Oil, found that 39% don’t know how to change a fuse.

Some are mystified by some less technical tasks, as more than one in three (41%) said they don’t know how to switch off the water at the mains tap in their house.

Indeed, a minority are even at a loss when faced with every day household tasks such as changing a light bulb (19%) or descaling a kettle (16%).

Many shy away from taking on flatpack furniture without help, as 42% of Brits draft in help from a friend or family member to help get the job done.

The survey also asked respondents who they turn to for advice on household-related tasks, revealing that 67% of the nation confess to turning to the school of Google for help, searching online to learn how to carry out odd jobs around the house.

More than one in three (38%) say they also call on mum and dad for advice and help with household tasks, though turning to friends (23%) or even asking neighbours (12%), were significantly less popular.

Suzanne Waddell, Group Marketing Manager at Emo Oil, said: "Once upon a time, the knowledge and skills required to carry out household tasks were passed on through generations. But it seems today that the nation is becoming less interested in learning these skills for future use, when they can turn to the internet whenever they need to tackle a job around the house. This trend has not completely died, however, as the older generation - parents - are the second most popular source for troubleshooting household jobs.

"While it's great to have so much information available online, families should still do their best to encourage younger generations to pick up these skills, so that they can live more independently and learn best practice under supervision. Even household tasks that are really quite simple - such as changing a light bulb or switching off the water supply - are beyond the skills of a large proportion of the UK population."

Emo Oil is a large UK fuel distributor, supplying a wide range of fuels and lubricants throughout the whole of the UK for use in homes, farms and businesses.