Millions of Brits feel that losing their mobile phone would be like losing a "soul mate", according to a new poll.

Two thirds of respondents to a survey commissioned by O2 admitted to not backing up the contents of their mobile phone.

O2 reckons that this can lead to the loss of friends, as well as a wide range of content including photographs and music downloads.

One in five respondents said that they had missed out on a potential relationship after losing a phone with a special number on it.

Nearly half of respondents said they had permanently lost contact with friends, 40 per cent had lost memorable photographs and 10 per cent had lost downloaded music as a result of losing their mobile.

Interestingly, nearly a quarter tried to look on the bright side when they lost their mobile, claiming that they were happy to rid themselves of people they did not like in the first place.

"People need to stop and think about the value of the information held on their mobile phones and back it up," said Sally Cowdry, head of marketing at O2 UK.

"Losing your mobile is not just an inconvenience. It could mean losing contact with friends, losing sentimental photos and, as this study shows, missing out on love."

O2's research revealed that one in three people have lost at least one mobile phone, 19 per cent of whom left it on a bus.

The next most common ways of losing a mobile is leaving it in the pub (14 per cent), followed by 12 per cent of Brits who dropped their phone in the toilet.