The London borough of Redbridge has been crowned the UK’s burglary claims hotspot by Moneysupermarket.

The price comparison site analysed 1.8 million home insurance quotes on its website over the last two years to identify claims for home contents theft.

Redbridge, in North East London, moved up the rankings from third place to take the number one spot this year, despite seeing its claims rate fall slightly, by 4% to 54.7 claims per 1,000 quotes.

London targeted

The capital’s boroughs make up most of the burglary league table, accounting for a massive 16 of the top 20 hotspots.

Along with Redbridge, North London postcodes dominate the rest of the top five, with Whetstone (N20), Chadwell Heath (RM6) and Clayhall (IG5) all making an appearance.

Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester (M21) also features in the top 20, with a rate of 40.5 burglary claims per 1,000 quotes, alongside Leeds (LS8), which has a rate of 39.3 burglary claims per 1,000 quotes.

However, residents of Dulwich (SE21), last year’s top hotspot, will be pleased to see it has fallen to number nine this year, with the rate of burglary claims in the area dropping by 29%.

Zero burglary claims

There are 123 postal districts with zero claims, including Norwich (NR26), Liverpool City Centre (L3), Manchester City Centre (M1), and Montrose (DD10) in Scotland.

Of the postcodes with at least one claim for theft, Monkseaton in North Tyneside (NE25) and Bideford in Devon (EX39) share the lowest rate, with 0.9 claims per 1,000 quotes. Other areas successfully keeping burglars at bay include Witney in Oxfordshire (OX28), which shares a rate of 1.3 claims per 1,000 quotes with six other postcodes across the UK.

Overall, the rate of burglary claims has fallen by eight per cent in the last year. Last year, the average rate was 13.58 per 1,000 quotes, dropping to 12.44 per 1,000 in this year’s analysis.

Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Burglars are interested in two things: where should I go to find stuff worth stealing and where am I least likely to get caught? Our findings suggest busy urban areas are the biggest targets for theft, but those who call leafy suburbia home should also be aware of the risks associated with the higher anticipated value of their belongings.

“Burglary results in a double dose of trauma, with both emotional and financial repercussions taking a long-term toll on those affected. To avoid the turmoil, it’s vital to be vigilant against break-ins and to bolster home security to prevent them in the first place. It’s also crucial to ensure you have contents insurance in place to cover you should the worst happen.”