An online poll asking who is better at DIY – men or women – has erupted into a fierce battle between the sexes. The poll is featured on the home improvement and DIY website www.lets-do-diy.com. And the huge response it has generated seems to indicate that the most explosive area for gender conflict has shifted from the traditional battleground of driving ability to DIY.

The website’s editor, John Burry, says: “We thought asking if men or women were better at DIY would provide lets-do-diy.com with a little light relief, but both sexes appear to have very strong views on the subject.”

Hundreds of visitors to the site have voted, but the battle is raging at its most fierce in the website’s forum where dozens of comments have been posted.

“Everyone at lets-do-diy.com is surprised by the strength of feeling expressed in the forum,” says Mr Burry. “Both sides of the debate have put their case with amusing anecdotes and scathing attacks on the DIY capabilities of the opposite sex.”

He continues: “On a serious note, the poll clearly suggests that today many more women are undertaking home improvement projects and consequently DIY is no longer the predominantly male activity it once was.”

To date over eight hundred people have voted in the poll with the division of opinion currently standing at 54% to 46% in favour of men being more proficient at DIY. But with the poll running until the end of March, the final result is far from clear.

To see how the poll stands at present visit www.lets-do-diy.com