Winter burglars break in to a UK home every minute

Every minute this winter, a burglar will forcibly enter a property in the UK , according to official statistics.

Aided by the cover of darkness, the overall rate of burglaries rises eight per cent in the winter months, as the number of forced entries increases by 21 per cent.

And as the clocks move back, the situation is only compounded by low light levels, observes Halifax Home Insurance, which make it easy for thieves to identify if a home is occupied or not.

Intruders are most likely to jimmy a door lock, force open a window, smash a door panel to reach the interior handle or break a window. The latest Home Office British Crime Survey found that nearly one in ten forced entry robberies involved the perpetrator pushing the homeowner aside as they respond to the front door.

"As the nights get darker and winter approaches, householders should be taking as many precautions as possible to ensure their homes are secure," commented Vicky Emmott, senior underwriter at Halifax Home Insurance.

Simple security measures such as deadlocks on doors can slash the likelihood of a break-in by almost ten times, the Crime Survey also indicated.

Mortgage borrowers can protect their homes with additional steps such as burglar alarms and security lighting, which can act as a deterrent as much as anything else.