PEOPLE are being reminded to make sure they change the locks on their new home when moving house.

Research by Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN) has highlighted a hole in home security, finding that two thirds of the 6,000 respondents do not change their locks when they move home, with 86.2 per cent not even considering it.

Jim Maddan, chairman of NHWN, said: “These figures alone may not seem that surprising, but when you consider that around 11 per cent of the population moves home in the UK every year, and that the average Briton moves eight times in their lifetime, then it begs the question just how many people could have a key to your new front door?”

“And when you take into account the most recent Office for National Statistics crime survey showed that 92 per cent of all domestic burglary in a dwelling in England and Wales was committed through either the front or back door, then it’s obvious that everything possible should be being done to secure them.”

To find out more visit www.ourwatch.org.uk.