One in every 73 homes was broken into by thieves in Britain's most prominent burglary hotspot, figures released today reveal. The major study using Home Office crime figures and census data has pinpointed the areas with the highest - and lowest - ratio of households per burglary.

And it found that residential areas covered by South Yorkshire Police, such as Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster, suffered the most frequent break-ins with residents reporting just over 8,000 burglaries in 2024. This gives it a ratio of one burglary for every 73 homes (1:73) - more than any other police force area across England and Wales. The research, by Go.Compare Home Insurance, also highlighted widespread burglaries across the Met's London region, West Yorkshire, Humberside and Cleveland.

Out of all the regions in England and Wales, the study found that Yorkshire and The Humber, and London have the joint highest ratio of households per burglary, with one for every 96 homes. The north-east completes the top three with a ratio of 1:113.

At the other end of the scale, Cumbria had the lowest burglary rate in the country with a ratio of 1:335. Suffolk, and Devon and Cornwall also place in the top three, with burglary rates of just 1:326 and 1:324, respectively.

South-west England was found to have the lowest burglary rates regionally. Out of the region's five police force areas, three ranked among the 10 lowest burglary rates across England and Wales. Wiltshire and Gloucestershire both made the top 10 with ratios of 1:309 and 1:247, respectively.

In Wales, South Wales, covering areas including Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport, claims the country's lowest burglary rate with a ratio of 1:262 - ranking sixth overall. Notably, Wales has a much better burglary rate than England, with one burglary for every 233 homes, compared to England's ratio of 1:141.

Nathan Blackler, a home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: "Burglary rates can have a direct impact on the cost of your home insurance, as insurers take location-based risks into account when setting premiums. If you live in an area with a higher rate of break-ins, it's especially important to make sure your policy covers the full value of what you own and that your home security is up to date.

"Simple measures like installing a burglar alarm, and upgrading the locks on your doors and windows, can help reduce your risk. Remember to keep these locks well-maintained so that they stay in good working order, too. In turn, this could bring down your premiums.

"No matter where you live, shopping around for quotes is one of the easiest ways to make sure you're getting the right cover for you at a fair price, so remember to compare policies regularly. Check that you've selected the right lock types when buying your policy as well, as your claim could be invalidated if you get this wrong."

Overall, the 10 biggest hotspots for residential burglaries in England and Wales (by police force area) are:

1) South Yorkshire (1:73)

2) Cleveland (1:82)

3) West Yorkshire (1:91)

4) West Midlands (1:93)

5) Metropolitan Police (Greater London) (1:96)

6) Humberside (1:99)

7) Greater Manchester (1:105)

8) Northumbria (1:124)

9) Durham (1:129)

10) Lancashire (1:135)

More information on England and Wales' biggest burglary hotspots can be found at