Brits are being warned about a commonly used item harbouring shockingly high levels of bacteria — and it’s probably in your pocket right now.

While most of us are meticulous about cleaning our bathrooms or wiping down surfaces, it seems we’re turning a blind eye to one everyday essential: our car keys, reports MailOnline.

New research by Money Supermarket has revealed that car keys contain almost four times more bacteria than a mobile phone or a computer keyboard – making them one of the filthiest items we carry around.

Despite the grim findings, a third of drivers have never cleaned their car keys, even though a quarter have had them for over five years.

While it’s already well known that the steering wheel, gearstick and dashboard are breeding grounds for germs, experts warn that the keys themselves have been dangerously overlooked.

“Washing our hands, wiping down surfaces, scrubbing our bathrooms are common cleaning tasks,” the experts say. “But what about those small essentials we handle multiple times a day, like our car keys?

“They’re with us everywhere, from restaurant tables to gym floors, to the depths of our bags, but they’re often overlooked when it comes to cleaning.”

The team surveyed 2,000 UK motorists about their cleaning habits and car types. They also sent swabs of various items to a lab, including phones, keyboards and a toilet seat – long seen as one of the dirtiest household objects.

The results were staggering. Phone screens had an average bacteria count of 66, with computer keyboards just above at 68. But car keys came in at a whopping 241 – almost four times dirtier than either device.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the toilet seat had the highest reading of all at 1,100.

Dr Joe Latimer, director of Microbe Consulting Ltd and a microbiologist at the University of Salford, led the analysis and said the bacteria levels on keys may still be underestimated.

The most common bacteria identified on car keys was Staphylococcus epidermidis – a bug normally found on the skin but known to cause life-threatening infections in hospital settings, particularly after surgery.

Worryingly, this bacterium is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, raising further health concerns.

And while many of the bacteria were skin-based, researchers also uncovered signs of gut bacteria on at least one set of keys.

“While unlikely to pose a problem, they can have the potential to carry disease under the right conditions,” Dr Latimer warned.

Experts are now urging drivers to clean their car keys regularly using a soft, damp cloth and mild soap solution. Bleach should be avoided as it can corrode the metal, and keys should never be submerged in water due to potential damage to key fobs and electronic components.

Drivers are also forking out hundreds for key replacements, with one Fiat owner reportedly paying over £900 — although this is typically down to lost or misplaced sets.

Shockingly, 15 per cent of drivers admit to not having a spare set of keys at all — leaving them stranded if their main set goes missing.

Fiat drivers were most likely to only own one set (27 per cent), followed by Land Rover owners (23 per cent) and Toyota drivers (20 per cent).

On the other hand, BMW drivers were found to be the most hygiene-conscious, with 57 per cent cleaning their keys weekly or more often. Mercedes-Benz owners followed at 55 per cent, then Land Rover (46 per cent), Audi (43 per cent) and Toyota (41 per cent).

The full results of the study are available on the Money Supermarket website.