'But it looks so easy on the telly... '

Linda Barker and Laurence Llewellyn Bowen rush into someone's house and, within 48 hours, have transformed their drab living room into something worthy of the Ideal Home Show with a bit of MDF and a tin of lime green paint.

It all looks so easy on television, but the reality is different. On Monday, a house in Quarry Lane in Harrogate collapsed after the owners spent the Bank Holiday trying to create living space in their cellar. They knocked through a wall, leaving the rooms above unsupported. Not surprisingly, the front of the house caved in.

Disasters like this are common. David Franks, of D&J Building Services in Esh, near Durham, says he's regularly called out to sort out DIY jobs that have gone wrong.

"It happens every week. People think they can handle something and they make a start on it and then realise they can't do it themselves.

"Most of the problems are to do with plumbing and heating systems when people try to fix things or install them themselves. They simply don't have the knowledge. Some of the worst scenarios I've seen are when people try to do loft conversions themselves and just start cutting through roof trusses, which can be very dangerous.

"Personally, I put a lot of the blame on DIY stores. Quite often they tell customers it's easy so they buy the product but when they get home, they find it isn't as straightforward as they thought and they have to call us in to help."

But it isn't just people's homes that suffer. Each year, 70 people are killed and 250,000 are injured in DIY-related accidents. Around 100,000 need hospital treatment for their injuries

Most of the deaths and serious injuries involve falls from ladders, often when people over-reach instead of moving the ladder. Knives and saws remain the most common tools involved in accidents, although we are so incompetent, a new category of DIY danger was introduced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) last year: injuries caused by tool boxes.

The number of accidents has increased dramatically over the last few years. In 1996, 85,000 people needed treatment in casualty but by 1999, this had leapt to 99,500. RoSPA is not surprised by the figures, laying much of the blame on the hugely popular DIY programmes that never seem to be off our TV screens.

Roger Vincent, the organisation's spokesman, says: "We have said on many occasions that the increase in the number of DIY and gardening programmes has led to an increase in accidents."

"We understand that these programmes are entertainment but we would like them to include more safety advice. They often give people the wrong impression."

In 2001, RoSPA singled out two BBC series, Changing Rooms and Ground Force, for criticism, claiming they flouted basic safety rules and encouraged people to work too quickly. Laurence Llewelyn Bowen was often seen using equipment without tying back his long hair or 'Handy' Andy Kane was drilling through brickwork without using safety goggles. Garden Force was criticised for encouraging heavy lifting and the way it used electricity in the garden.

In 2000, two men were electrocuted in an accident in Coventry which safety experts said was influenced by work carried out on the programme. Ray Thomas, 56, was trying to rewire a water feature in his garden when he was electrocuted. His neighbour, 76-year-old Lawrie Day, rushed to his aid and was also killed.

Roger says: "You have to remember that these people have a team of experts behind the scenes to help out and they know exactly what they're doing. We do things in the home we would never dream of doing at work. If your boss asked you to do some heavy lifting at work, you would say no but you don't think twice about it at home."

But television isn't the only factor behind the rise of DIY. The booming property market means more people have their own homes to work on, particularly women, who are the fastest-growing group of DIY enthusiasts. As more of them live alone, they become less reliant on men to carry out their home improvements.

But while DIY gains in popularity, the average young property owner often has problems just changing plugs or hanging pictures. This is partly due to the switch in emphasis in schools from metalwork and woodwork to design technology. Very few younger people have the practical skills they need to carry out successful and safe DIY and, inevitably, this leads to accidents.

WE'RE currently in the middle of the home improvement season, which traditionally starts at Easter, and in an attempt to cut the number of injuries, the Government has launched a TV public information film showing the dangers of ignoring safety warnings. New safety leaflets are being distributed at DIY stores but unless people are realistic about their capabilities, says Roger, they will continue to be involved in accidents.

"One of the first things we always say is you need to plan the job properly before you start. You have to be honest. The first question you have to ask yourself is whether you're up to the job or whether you need to call in the professionals, especially if it's something that involves gas or electricity or structural change."

If you do feel you have the skills, you have to plan the work carefully and make sure you have the right tools. Wear protective equipment, and if you're hiring tools, make sure you have a proper demonstration and follow all the instructions carefully. It's also essential to allow the proper amount of time for the job.

Roger says: "Often people try to finish something in a weekend or after work when they're tired and that can lead them to cut corners. If you're going to do DIY, you have to give it your full attention, otherwise accidents are going to happen. If in doubt, call in the experts."

A catalogue of DIY disasters

Nurse Sue Webb managed to set fire to her South Shields home while using a blow torch to remove paint from her doorstep in 1998.

In 1994, a Devon man had his home demolished by the local council after trying to make it open plan - by removing the interior walls.

Michael Henton from Suffolk accidentally hit his wife over the head with a sledge hammer in 1998, when he fell from a stepladder while trying to put in garden fence posts. Carol Henton had been holding the posts steady and ended up spending a week in hospital being treated for a bruised brain.

Former Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves shattered the bones in both feet two years ago while trying to clear the Virginia creeper from the roof of his home. He over-stretched and fell off the ladder he was standing on.

A London man took advantage of scaffolding put up by his roofing contractor to adjust his TV aerial. The plank he was standing on gave way and he fell to the ground, closely followed by the roofing contractor, who fell on top of him. He fractured his spine but his spinal cord remained intact.