Mobile owners waste £40m

Brits are wasting energy and money by needlessly overcharging their mobiles, according to research from moneysupermarket.com.

The price comparison website's report found that one in eight Brits overcharge by an average of eight hours - equating to 85,000 tonnes of CO2 every year and £40m on electric bills.  

According to moneysupermarket.com, the average phone only takes about 2-3 hours to charge up and overcharging can actually be damaging to the battery life.

James Parker, manager of mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: "People should remember to unplug the phone charger when they are done; it will not only be good for the phone’s battery life, but good for their wallet too."

Women appear to take environmental issues more seriously when it comes to charging mobiles, with just 11 per cent admitting to overcharging for an average of 6.8 hours compared to 15 per cent of men who overcharge for an average of 8.5 hours every time the charge up their phones.

Mobile phone users are advised to only charge their mobile phone for up to four hours and when the battery is dead as it helps to prolong battery life.