Winter is a good time to make improvements to home insurance

“Winter is an ideal time to consider making improvements to home security”, claim leading insurance experts.

Halifax Home Insurance has said burglars are more likely to target those properties which are easiest to get into and has issued a series of tips to help deter any potential thieves.

David Rochester, head of underwriting for Halifax Home Insurance, said: “Darker nights provide cover for criminals looking to break into homes, and the rich pickings available to burglars in the form of presents under the tree can prove all too tempting for the opportunist burglar.”

The advice includes fitting visible key-operated locks to the windows, especially on the ground floor, and security lights

He also said that expensive items such as mp3 players, jewellery, mobile phones and car keys can act as an “open invitation to burglars” if left on full view near a window.

Recent research by Liverpool Victoria revealed that burglary and theft accounts for 36 per cent of crime in the UK and costs the nation an estimated £2.8 billion a year.

Tags: Insurance, home, lightsHe, expensive items, invitation, ground floor, Mp3 players