North Tyneside home insurance customers urged to be safe

People in North Tyneside have been urged to keep their homes safe as dark nights draw in - something that could potentially help them to avoid crime and a hefty home insurance claim .

Police in the areas have said that homeowners must keep their windows and doors secure as winter approaches, because the number of burglaries in the area has risen over recent times, the News Guardian reports.

Britons should take note that if a burglary occurs due to a door or window being carelessly left open then they could be invalidating their home insurance policies . Without home insurance policies, they could face a big bill to replace lost items.

Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Vince Stubbs told the publication: Although we don't have a significant problem with burglary in North Tyneside ... more than half of these crimes reported were to homes with unlocked doors and windows.

Last month Northumbria Police offered a range of advice to students returning to university in order to keep their homes safe from thieves. This also included keeping all doors and windows securely locked.