Thieves ‘make off with £8.3bn’

Around a quarter of Brits have fallen victim to this kind of crime during the last half-decade and costly personal possessions are often never seen again, a Halifax Home Insurance study has demonstrated.

Despite the billions of pounds worth of mobile phones, wallets and jewellery stolen on British streets in the last five years, many seem reluctant to claim money back on their home insurance, with only nine per cent of mugging victims opting to do so, Halifax reports.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriter at Halifax Home Insurance, said: “People should be discreet with expensive items and where possible keep items safely secured to reduce the risk of theft.

“Householders can protect themselves against the financial costs of theft by ensuring they have adequate home insurance cover that protects them for the loss or theft of items when outside the home.”

Meanwhile, figures from national charity Credit Action show Britain’s personal debt management problems increase to the tune of around £1 million every four minutes.