Britons are using their work time to design and plan out their home improvements, according to research from Rated Tradesman.

The online service that matches DIY work with publicly rated local tradesmen, found that British employees spend much of the working day surfing the internet for home design tips.

In a survey of 1,600 office workers, more than half (52 per cent) admitted to secretly designing their home improvements from their desk and searching for ways to improve their properties. This included getting quotes, looking at paint colours and searching for tradesmen to carry out the jobs they had in mind.

Workers in London topped the time consummation list with people spending on average 98 minutes a week designing their homes from their desks. This was followed by workers in the South East and West Midlands with the majority of those asked admitting to spending 86 minutes a week.

Women were also found to spend more time each week than men when it comes to designing their homes. Women average ­ 83 minutes a week compared to 73 minutes for men.

In addition, three per cent of those surveyed also said their boss had asked them to help get online quotes for their own home improvements.

This, Andrew Skipwith, founder of Rated Tradesmen put down to the ease of internet access in the workplace.

“Readily accessible internet at work means more and more office workers are moonlighting as property developers,” he said.

However, he warned, “Fixing, redecorating and creating your own grand design can be time consuming and tedious.”