Warning over potential spike in burglaries as heatwave predicted for Yorkshire next week

While the mercury is set to soar next week to an unseasonably high 25 degrees Celcius, so too could the number of homes being targeted by criminals.

Police figures have showed over time that warmer weather is often linked to higher rates of burglaries as thieves take advantage of doors and windows left open.

This would also invalidate insurance claims, leaving huge holes in people's finances.

Burglary levels plummeted by 72 per cent during the lockdown according to recent data issued by the ONS, but police have said crime levels have been rising back to pre-Covid levels since restrictions were eased.

Home Insurance Expert at Confused.com insurance site Jessica Willock said: “When temperatures are set to soar, it’s only natural to open our windows to cool down. But this will be the time to be extra vigilant so that our home security isn’t compromised.

“There were 28,607* burglaries across the UK in September 2019. We don’t want to see this number rise in the warm weather this year. Thieves target opportunity, so we need to be particularly careful not to leave windows and doors open."

A recent investigation by The Yorkshire Post revealed that as much as 84 per cent of burglaries in some parts of Yorkshire were closed with no suspects identified last year.

Ellen Miller, who is Service Director for the North and the Midlands at independent charity Victim Support, said the psychological impact of a burglary could be huge, but that this was often underestimated because it is, historically, a common crime.

“The thing with burglaries is that it’s a violation of the one place you are supposed to feel most safe,” she told The Yorkshire Post.

“We don’t realise the full effect it can have, especially if the victim is living alone or is vulnerable.

“Feeling safe in your own home is a basic pillar of existence, and when you don’t, people will often sleep downstairs with the television on. That lack of sleep and accumulated anxiety can eat away and destroy you.”