Sharp rise in thieves burgling homes to steal cars

The number of thieves taking cars by first burgling the keys from the owner's home has risen sharply – this year's figure is 19 percent up on last year's.

Parliamentary figures have shown that at least 53 householders lose their vehicle in this way every day, with London the worst affected area in the country.

AA Insurance has highlighted the issue, pointing out that recent claims have shown that thieves are brazen enough to not even wait until the owners are out of their homes before launching raids – the company has reported thefts occurring while the owners are in their back gardens or even while they are in bed at night.