According to insurer esure, two fifths of Brits have lost their keys in the past month alone with the average set unlocking an estimated fortune of over £28,000.

Almost one in five Brits misplace their house or car keys at least once a day and despite recent figures showing that nearly 800,000 homes were broken into between 2011 and 2012, almost half of British homeowners surveyed admitted they have never bothered to change the locks after moving into a new home.

More than half (51%) of homeowners were more concerned at the thought of losing their purse or wallet than their keys.

Nikki Sellers, head of home insurance at esure, said: “Changing locks when moving house or after losing keys can be a hassle, but it is important to bear in mind the value of the items that can be at risk if your keys were to fall into the wrong hands.

“Whilst we always recommend keeping a close eye on your keys, accidents do happen, so if you find yourself losing your keys, then changing the locks is an investment that will lead to greater peace of mind and help avoid a potentially unpleasant experience.”

The report highlighted that even though the average Brit’s home contents comes to a value of over £16,000, a quarter of Brits said they had never considered the value of the items their keys unlock, while 23% of Brits don’t know what all of the keys on their key-ring are for.