Doncaster top of the league for burglaries as crime rates look poised to rise

Doncaster and Bristol residents are more likely to have their homes burgled than people living anywhere else in the UK, price-comparison site Moneysupermarket.com has revealed in a list of the top 20 burglary-prone areas.

Almost 6 per cent of homes in both areas have made claims on their household insurance for thefts over the past year. Other areas that made the unlucky list include Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Reading. And London, with its high crime rates, contains seven of the country's 20 top burglary postcodes.

But Doncaster and Bristol, which took first and second position respectively, come as a surprise to Peter Gerrard, the head of insurance research at Moneysupermaket.com. "It proves any area, regardless of reputation, can be classed as high-risk," he said. "Unfortunately, seeing your postcode in the list could be reflected in your insurance premiums, with insurers blacklisting whole cities or areas as high-risk." And as winter sets in, the longer nights may provide more opportunities for thieves, warns Mr Gerrard.

Checking that your insurance policy is up to date is recommended, especially as crime is likely to rise during the economic downturn.

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