Within hours of opening a new, exciting gadget on Christmas Day some of us have already broken them.

Research from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reveals instruction-averse Brits are too eager to get into their gadgets, which leads to breakages.

As drones are among the top five most broken items, the CAA is calling on people as part of its wider Drone Safe initiative to take the time to open the manufacturers’ handbook this Christmas.

The research found that 34 per cent of people are likely to break a new gadget on Christmas Day within hours of opening it and two-thirds of these breakages (66 per cent) could have been avoided if Brits had read the instructions.

Almost a fifth (19 per cent) rarely bother checking the manual before getting their gadget going.

Jonathan Nicholson, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) assistant director, said: “Consumer technology is more exciting and accessible than ever before, so it’s not surprising that gadgets such as drones are amongst the most popular gifts at Christmas.

“And although drones can be a lot of fun to use, they are not toys.

“As such, reading the provided instructions is essential - not just to get the most out of your drone, but to ensure you’re using it safely and responsibly.

“For consumers who want to learn more about the dos and don’ts of drone flying, everything you need to know to fly responsibly can be found at www.dronesafe.uk”

The study’s results also showed that as well as increasing the likelihood of causing a breakage, this failure to read gadget instructions is preventing people from enjoying their new tech at all - 31 per cent of respondents said that not being able to properly use or build a gadget is the worst part of opening one at Christmas.

But the majority of respondents (68 per cent) agreed it was important to read the instructions before using a new gadget.

Working with Opinium, the Civil Aviation Authority commissioned the study of 2,007 UK adults.

Follow the CAA’s ‘12 Days of Christmas’ drone Twitter campaign by following @UK_CAA