Mobiles, iPods guarded more dearly than passports

Except when travelling...

Britons take more care with mobile phone and iPods than they do with their passports, new research suggests.

According to a survey conducted for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), only 22 per cent of respondents said they keep their passport locked away.

Yet when it comes to iPods, jewellery and other valuables, 28 per cent said they are locked away and another 44 per cent said they are kept securely.

The survey found many people would act more quickly when a mobile phone went missing than with passport theft. Almost eight out of 10 (79 per cent) said if their phone was stolen they would contact their mobile phone company that day. But only 64 per cent said they would immediately report the loss of a passport.

However, IPS executive director Bernard Herdan said passports are more valuable to a thief than gadgets.

Respondents said they are more careful with passports when abroad - more than half (58 per cent) put their passport in a hotel safe when travelling.