Britons are being urged to secure their homes against a potential surge of burglaries when lockdown ends.
There was a 20 per cent drop in house burglaries last year compared to 2019, according to analysis of government crime figures by the home insurance company Hiro.
Criminals overall takings were down by £103million in 2020 as homeowners spent the majority of their time in their properties. This equated to individual losses for burglars and thieves of £12,954.
Peoples eagerness to flee the confinement of their homes presents an opportunity for burglars, who will be looking to recoup their lockdown losses
There are now fears of a domestic burglary resurgence as the nationwide vaccination rollout progresses and lockdown restrictions ease.
Home movers have had four million of their possessions either lost, damaged or stolen in transit over the past 12 months.
Nearly a quarter of people said items did not make it to their new home in the same condition they left in, according to a new survey by Direct Line home insurance.
The average cost of repairing or replacing these items was nearly £700 for each homeowner, equating to a total of more than £1.3billion.
Moving day: Many home movers will hire a van or lorry and do their removal themselves to save on costs - but this does not mean their contents will necessarily be any safer
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