More than 22million Britons are not confident about how to switch off their utilities at home in the event of an emergency, data shows. 

Research by Direct Line Home Insurance found that 9 per cent of homeowners do not know where or how to switch off the water inside their home, while 20 per cent, or around 6.8million, have no clue where their external water stopcock is located. 

Around 6million, or 17 per cent, of homeowners with a gas supply do not know where the main gas stopcock in their property is, the findings added.   

The picture is worse among tenants. According to the findings, over 4million, or 27 per cent of tenants who live in homes with a gas supply admitted they would not know how or where to switch off the gas at home in the event of a leak. 

Seven per cent of tenants surveyed said they were not sure where to switch off their electricity, while 32 per cent said they did not know where their fuse box - also known as a consumer unit - was located. 

Three per cent of 2,000 people surveyed claimed that they did not have an electricity consumer unit in their home, while 4 per cent said they did not have a water stopcock. 

Dan Simson, head of Direct Line Home Insurance, told the Daily Mail: 'It may seem like a small thing, but knowing where and how to switch off your water, electricity and gas is potentially life-saving and could certainly help prevent a lot of damage to your home.

'Our research also highlights how important it is for landlords to show their tenants where to switch off their utilities in the event of an emergency. 

'Domestic emergencies can happen at any time, so it’s important that everyone in the household knows in advance how to switch off utilities quickly and safely.'

The report highlighted that knowing how to switch off the gas, water or electricity in the event of an emergency could help prevent serious property damage or injury. 

A gas leak could lead to a fire or even an explosion, while a burst pipe could cause serious damage to a property. 

Forty-five per cent of people surveyed said they had had an incident at home which required them to switch off their electricity, while 44 per cent needed to turn off their water and 31 per cent had to switch off the gas.   

The findings said: 'Shockingly, of those who have needed to switch off their water indoors 31 per cent admit that that they weren’t able to do so. 

'Of those that needed to turn off their gas nearly half (48 per cent) were unable to do so, and 28 per cent were unable to turn off their electricity when an incident occurred.'    

How to deal with a water leak 

Water stopcocks are usually found in the kitchen, under the sink. 

However, in some houses the stopcock is found in the front or back hall, downstairs bathroom, utility room, cellar or garage. Make sure you know where yours is so you can access it in the event of an emergency.

A stopcock looks like a tap but without an outlet spout. It will be situated between two lengths of pipe, acting as a connector. This allows the stopcock to impede the flow of water when it is closed off.

In case of a water leak, locate your stopcock and simply turn the valve clockwise to turn off the water supply. Turn on the taps in the sinks and bathrooms to remove any water remaining in the household system. 

What to do if you smell gas 

 If you smell gas in your property, turn off the gas at the mains tap. 

This can usually be located near the gas meter and has a handle that can be turned ninety degrees. 

Open doors and windows to ventilate the property. Do not turn any power or light switches on or off, light any sort of flame or use any appliances that could cause a spark.

To report a gas or carbon monoxide emergency, or if a pipeline is struck, even if no gas leak has occurred, call the National Gas Emergency Service for free on 0800 111 999. 

How to switch off your electricity 

To find your fuse box, check the most likely locations in your home, such as the hallway, under the stairs, in a cupboard near the front door, or in the kitchen. 

The central electrical panel for your home, this is a metal or plastic box with a hinged lid containing rows of switches or circuit breakers, usually corresponding to different rooms in the house. 

If one of these appears turned off, it means something in that room has tripped the switch. 

The fuse box will often be located near your electricity meter, which is typically installed where the main electricity supply enters the property. 

The consumer unit will also contain the mains switch that turns off all the power in the property. 

The mains switch will usually be red and will normally be at the end of the row of circuit breakers.