Homeowners fear 'recession burglaries'

As the recession has hurt the pockets of many people over the last year, many of us are looking to other methods to make ends meet by taking out second jobs and saving - some people, however, have taken a more illegal approach to making extra cash by breaking into homes and stealing items.

"UK homeowners feel more at risk from burglaries right now than they have ever done" claim leading insurance provider, Be Wiser Insurance.

The research found that 14 per cent of respondents are more fearful of a break-in since the recession began.

"People feel scared and overwhelmed by the level of crime in their local areas... this is resulting in more and more homeowners improving security around their property to reduce break-ins and esure they don't need to claim on their home insurance policy."

It also discovered that 24 per cent have been a victim of the crime at some point in their lives.

However, 20 per cent admitted that they do not ever consider keeping valuable possessions away from places where they can be seen from the outside.

A further 22 per cent said they fail to lock windows and doors when they are resident in a property.

"People need to keep valuables away from windows and they need to make sure that they're home is secure... leaving a window undone is just an advert for a thief to come to your property and break-in."

A spokesperson from Be Wiser Insurance said that it was "surprising" that people are "advertising" their goods to thieves.

"We'd recommend householders take a few moments before they leave the house and before going to bed, to make sure valuables are out of sight," he said.