Four out of 10 mums admit their children have been injured around the house while they have their back turned, it has been revealed.

A study of 2000 mums found hectic lifestyles mean seven in 10 mums are regularly forced to leave their children to play unsupervised while they carry out household chores.

The hard-hitting report also revealed another seven out of 10 mums admit it is impossible to keep an eye on their child and still keep the house clean and tidy.

"Many accidents experienced by young children in the home come about because mum is understandably not able to keep a constant watch," said Claire Rayner, spokesperson for Lindam, the UK firm which compiled the study.

"There is increasing pressure on modern mums to be available at any moment for their children, while also being responsible for running the household and ensuring domestic life goes to plan for the whole family.

"She can't be in several places at once and the results show that, it only take a minute for an accident to happen. It's therefore about using safety products to make the home as accident-proof as possible and allow Mums at least some peace of mind."

The study found that a third of children have fallen off the sofa or tripped over in the garden, while an unlucky fifth has slipped on a floor, shut their fingers in a door or hit their head on a sharp corner.

One in six has fallen down the stairs and the same number has been hurt from a fight with siblings.

The most common time for an accident to occur was found to be when mums were busy cooking the evening meal, while being on the phone or having to deal with older siblings were also main distractions most likely to lead to an accident when mum's back was turned.

Most accidents involving young children took place in the living room, followed by the garden and bedroom.

However, mothers do their best to keep a constant eye. The study found that parents are present for 60 percent of the accidents that their child experiences, and when the accident took place out of mum’s sight, it was most likely because she was distracted in the kitchen when her child was elsewhere in the house.

A tired 80 percent of mums admit they have to leave their child in front of the TV sometimes so they can get on with things properly.

An attached one in five say they’d never dream of leaving their youngest out of sight.

Unfortunately, relying on extra help is hard – a third of mums say they can't leave their youngest with older siblings, while the same number wouldn’t ask an available grandparent to help out.

One in three will additionally experience conflict with their partner when it comes to keeping an eye out on the kids – a quarter say it causes friction in the relationship.

In fact, a third of mothers say their partner is much guiltier of not keeping a proper eye on the kids than they are, while one in 10 say their partner has no idea how hard they have to work during the day whilst managing the kids and juggling domestic life.

"It's key from these findings that a minute can really make all the difference and despite parents keeping an eye on their children, there just isn’t enough hours in the day to keep watch 24 hours," added the Lindam spokesperson.

"It's so easy and quick to put in place some very simple safety equipment such as stair gates, corner cushions and cupboard locks to ensure that parents can rest a little easier knowing that their children are protected."