New figures have revealed which areas of Bolton is a burglary hotspot, with homeowners advised on how to best protect their property.

The data, collated by Money Supermarket, has looked at more than seven million home insurance quotes from its customers to find the postcode areas in the UK with the highest and lowest rates of burglary claims since 2020.

The worst affected area , according to the figures, is the BL7 postcode, which covers Belmont, Edgworth, Egerton, and Turton.

Here, the number of burglary insurance claims per 1,000 quotes since 2020 was 23.45, with residents here having a 2.35 per cent of being burgled.

Elsewhere in Bolton the safest part was the BL2 post code, which includes Ainsworth, Bradley Fold, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Harwood, Tonge Fold and Tonge Moor.

Here there rate of burglary per 1,000 was 10.36.

Similarly placed in terms of safety was the BL3 postcode which incldues Little Lever which had a figure of 10.58.

BL5, which incldues Over Hulton and Westhoughton, was similarly placed at with a rate of 10.58.

In BL4, which incldues Farnworth and Kearsley, the figure was 16.31 and in BL1, whicn features Smithills, Halliwell and Heaton the figure was 16.31.

The second worst spot in Bolton was BL6 which encompasses Blackrod, Horwich, Lostock and Rivington, where the rate was 20.96 per 1,000.

Earlier this year police hailed Operation Castle, which aimed to crack down on burglary, as a success.

From 2021 to this year GMP has arrested 4544 individuals, and incidents of burglary have decreased by 21 per cent.

From July 2021 to July this yaer, GMP solved 39 per cent more residential burglaries.

In the same period, the force recorded 3778 fewer residential burglaries. 

The worst area nationally is B94 – covering Solihull near Birmingham, with 57.83 burglaries per 1,000 quotes, more than double the rate in BL7.

Second worst is SE24 in London with a rate of 57.01, followed by WL7 in Hertfordshire at 54.27, SS14, covering Basildon in Essex at 52.65, and then E9, which encompasses Hackney and Homerton in London, at 51.7.

The safest part of the country is in Cambridgeshire, where the PE15 postcode has a rate of 0.28 claims per 1,000 quotes, followed by SY23, covering Aberystwyth in West Wales at 0.34, and CA1 in Carlisle and BT53 in Northern Ireland both on 0.36.

Money Supermarket said: “Being burgled is a deeply unpleasant experience, and while a good home insurance policy can minimise any financial losses, knowing that a stranger has been rummaging through your things can leave you feeling unsafe in your own home.

“Burglaries are generally considered to be crimes of opportunity with offenders looking to take advantage of the most unsecured homes.

“While there are practical steps you can take to better protect your property, such as fitting an alarm or video doorbells, some areas are simply more at risk of being burgled than others.”

Money and savings expert Katie Hughes added: “The startling thing about these hotspots is the difference between the chances of being burgled in different places around the country.

“But, the behaviours and changes that we make to reduce the chances of becoming a victim and having to make a claim are the same across the country regardless of what’s going on in the wider world.”