Residents with a postcode starting RG10 are far more likely to be burgled than anyone else in and around Reading.

This is according to a recent investigation which analysed seven million home insurance quotes to find the UK postcodes with the highest and lowest rates of burglary claims since 2020.

Certain areas of Reading have raised concern in the study, carried out by insurance firm MoneySuperMarket.

The local 'burglary hotspots' which fall under the RG10 postcode include Hurst, Twyford and Wargrave.

In the postcode, an average of 17.49 insurance claims in every 1,000 are related to burglary.

This makes it the 482nd postcode most likely to be burgled in the UK.

In the RG4 postcode, which covers Caversham, 15.67 home insurance claims in every 1,000 are related to burglary.

This places it at 581 on the list of postcodes most likely to be burgled in the UK.

In contrast, residents in the RG1 postcode which covers central Reading can sleep easier knowing that 9.7 of every home insurance claim is burglary-related.

This makes it the 1,107th postcode most likely to be burgled in the UK.

Full list of Reading postcodes:

RG10 - 17.49 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG4 - 15.67 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG9 - 15.66 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG41 - 13.91 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG7 - 13.72 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG18 - 13.63 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG6 - 11.79 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG2 - 11.68 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG5 - 10.71 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG14 - 9.90 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG1 - 9.7 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG30 - 9.06 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG40 - 7.89 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG19 - 4.03 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG8 - 3.48 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

RG31 - 3.27 burglary-related insurance claims per 1,000

Elsewhere:

On a national scale, Birmingham has been named as the UK’s number one burglary hotspot, with an average of 58 claims per 1,000 quotes in the B94 postcode district.

Postcode areas with the lowest amount of burglaries include PE15 in Cambridgeshire and SY23 in Aberystwyth, Wales.

“While it’s not a surprise to see the list of burglary hotspots dominated by large cities like Birmingham, it is interesting to learn that a large proportion of people in rural areas aren’t protecting their homes with a burglar alarm,” said David McDermottre, home insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket.

“Unfortunately, the extra time spent away from our homes since people have gone back to work post-Covid has provided burglars with more opportunities.

“In fact, our research found that burglary claims last year were 106 per cent higher than those recorded in 2020, rising from 7.79 to 16.01 per 1,000 quotes,” he added.

The home insurance expert has advised that no matter how much of a burglary hotspot your postcode is, it is always a good idea to take preventative measures.

“This can be things like installing an alarm, investing in decent locks for windows and doors and keeping valuables such as laptops and keys out of sight,” Mr McDermottre explained.

“It will not only make homes less attractive to burglars, but it will be harder for them to break in.”

You can check exactly how your postcode ranks using MoneySuperMarket’s interactive search feature here.