While some more careful users will have made a computer or paper record of the data, many are totally reliant on their phone as their contact book.

Basically it will just mean putting a chip in the charger and it will not add a lot to the cost

Paul Stokes, inventor

An Irish invention, dreamed up after a visit to the pub resulted in a stolen mobile, will come as welcome relief to anyone who has lost their precious mobile information.

Two Irish businessmen have filed a patent on an intelligent mobile phone charger, which downloads all data from the mobile phone while it is charging.

Pub inspiration

When a mobile phone is lost or stolen, the numbers are retained on the charger.

By entering a Pin, users can upload that information into a new handset once they have a replacement.

"We thought of the idea after a friend left his mobile in the pub and went back five minutes later to find it gone," explained inventor Paul Stokes.

Stokes hopes his invention will prove useful

"We thought there must be a way of keeping hold of the numbers that he lost," he said.

The pair have yet to make a working prototype, but are already in talks with operators including Siemens.

"Basically it will just mean putting a chip in the charger and it will not add a lot to the cost," said Mr Stokes.

According to UK Government figures, a mobile phone is stolen approximately every three minutes.

The Home Office estimates that 700,000 handsets were stolen in England and Wales last year.