An astonishing series of images, illustrating bacteria being propelled from a toilet, show the dangers more than half of Britons face by not closing the lid when they flush.

One flush of the toilet produces thousands of tiny aerosol droplets, which can contain bacteria and viruses and contaminate surfaces up to six feet away.

But research has revealed 55 percent of UK adults don’t close the lid when flushing the toilet — despite almost three-quarters (72 percent) saying they are more hygiene aware than ever before.

Toilet bowl water remains contaminated for several flushes after becoming exposed to harmful pathogens.

To highlight the dangers, toilet cleaning brand Harpic, which conducted the survey, used high-speed specialist camera technology to capture the droplets and particles leaving the toilet.