Inviting friends and their children round for an afternoon get-together may prove to be a costly affair with many accidentally damaging the house they are visiting, new research shows.

Guests are set to cause around 2.8 million incidents, costing homeowners £1.12 billion over the next year alone, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

These 'frenemies' - friends who are enemies to bank balances - are likely to break over one million pieces of furniture and damage over 800,000 items with sentimental value as well as over half a million garden ornaments. A further 967,000 household furnishings will need to be professionally cleaned as a result of wine stains.

Getting friends round to help with DIY could also end in disaster with 141,000 friends and their children subsequently requiring hospital treatment.

Homes in the south-east and East Anglia are most likely to record the highest levels of damage with almost the number of incidents than those in Scotland.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriting manager Halifax Home Insurance, said: "However well meaning, friends may be enemies to your bank balance unless you have comprehensive home insurance cover for the damage they cause.

"Homeowners could face paying out significant sums if they are underinsured, or have no insurance cover, because of their friends’ behaviour. Adequate cover can help people avoid disputes over damage to property and furnishings, which could otherwise cause rifts between lifelong friends."