Do It Yourself

good-intentioned when it comes to planting trees, but it’s important that we don’t put our properties at unnecessary risk of subsidence. Our advice is to do your homework before putting spade to soil.”

Yesterday Sainsbury’s Car Insurance advised people to ensure that their child is issued with the appropriate safety seating before going on the school run.

A third of homeowners believe they could break into their own homes within minutes, new research from Zurich Insurance has revealed.

The study found that as many as six million Brits thought their security was easy to bypass, and one in ten have actually proven this by successfully breaking into their own homes.

Of those who managed to force entry, two thirds did so in less than 15 minutes, whilst more than a quarter accomplished it in as little as five minutes. A common point of entry for those who have found themselves locked out is, according to the research, a window left carelessly open.

Those who are casual enough to leave a window open when they go out could find their home insurance is invalid.

The study also questioned burglars to find out more about break-ins. Of those questioned, the study found that 87 per cent of burglars said that break-ins are normally opportunistic. According to burglars, leaving a window open, not having a burglar alarm and accidentally leaving the back door open are common causes for burglary.

The burglars questioned also offered tips on avoiding being a victim of a burglary, suggesting the use of simple deterrents such as window locks and external security lights. Traditional British neighbourly values also remain prominent as deterrents for burglars, 56 per cent of homeowners ask a neighbour to keep an eye on their property whilst away, and 64 per cent of burglars questioned said this would be deterrent enough.

Reformed criminal, turned probation officer, Bob Turney, said: “Burglars want an easy way in – and most burglaries are simply a result of thieves taking advantage of householders who’ve left their homes wide open and there for the taking.