HOMEOWNERS are being reminded to check the locks as thefts are reported to increase by 20% after the clocks turned back at the weekend.

Insurance bosses are warning UK home owners to check their properties as darker nights indicate a rise in the number of household burglaries committed during November.

Insurance broker Towergate claimed data had revealed that last year household thefts surged by 20% in the first full month after the clocks turned back, with further analysis which revealed data going back to 2013 showing household thefts increasing by 13% on average between October and November.

According to UK Crime Stats, November last year saw a spike in burglaries with 38,000 instances reported, which had been the highest monthly total in the year.

Home Office police recorded crime statistics also showed a rise in burglaries in the last three months of the year, with 107,000 cases reported between October and December 2015.

Jon Cawley, Towergate head of claims, said: ‘As the nights draw in burglars use the change in season to their advantage and it is easier to understand patterns of when houses are unoccupied.  Even the most basic of measures can deter these opportunistic criminals.

‘But it’s not only looking at what security we have in the home, but also the information we are choosing to share on our social media channels. You don’t know who may be reading your updates, announcing when and where you are in real time and through this you’re essentially giving criminals a time frame of when they can burgle your house.

‘We urge all home owners to stop and think about how they can enhance their security both in and out of the home this winter.’