Best of British

A survey, carried out on behalf of SCA Tissue Europe, revealed that Britain was reportedly among Europe's front-runners when it came to hand hygiene habits.

A total of 89% of British people claim they always wash their hands after using the loo, while a further 10% say they usually perform this routine task.

'Good hand hygiene is crucial if you intend to stay healthy,"said Rolf Andersson, senior scientist at SCA. "Bacteria can collect in the toilet flush mechanism; the taps; the light switch and door handle and if you have bacteria on your hands this can easily be transferred to the mouth." The study also showed that 35% of British people often think the workplace washroom appears to be dirty, while only 21% feel it always seems clean.

Around 12% of British respondents rarely or never use the toilet at work, preferring to either use a toilet outside the workplace or wait until they return home.