Caravan Insurance

A large proportion of UK householders regularly leave doors to their home unlocked, even though this leaves their property at the mercy of thieves, according to a new survey.

Approximately two million Britons leave a door to their home unlocked while they are out and 17 million do so while they are at home, even though one in four successful burglaries stem from the perpetrator entering through an unsecured door.

Nearly one in five of those who leave their doors unlocked do so because they believe the property is being watched by neighbours and a similar proportion because they feel they live in a safe neighbourhood, according to Halifax's report.

Senior underwriter for home insurance Vicky Emmott said that the results would appear to suggest that "millions of Brits still live in the past".

She commented: "Householders should also be increasingly aware of the security risks of leaving doors unlocked even when they are in the home, especially since today's burglars seem less worried about whether you are in or out."

Indeed, 55 per cent of burglaries nowadays are committed while the homeowner is indoors and yet locking the door is a far more effective deterrent, as on average housebreakers spend no more than a minute trying to enter a property.

Surprisingly, London is a particular hotspot for homeowners leaving their house unsecured while they are out, with nearly one in ten residents doing so, along with Wales and the west, Scotland and the north west.