Police warning: don't hide presents in the car

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A woman driving a car filled with Christmas presents and a Christmas tree on top..To see more holiday images click on the link b
A woman driving a car filled with Christmas presents and a Christmas tree on top..To see more holiday images click on the link b



Children can be impressive detectives. You may think that hiding the presents in the loft or the wardrobe will keep them from discovering what they're getting for Christmas, but you'd be underestimating just how resourceful they can be. It's hardly surprising, therefore, that desperate parents take to hiding presents in their car. The police have warned that this is a dangerous move.

They issued the warning after thieves broke into a parked car in Rochdale in the middle of the night. Fortunately in this instance, a neighbour saw what happened, and called the police. They arrived in time to give chase and the presents were retrieved. Greater Manchester Police took to Twitter to warn people not to leave presents in cars.

The same fate befell a family in Shinfield, and a family in Swansea - neither of whom ever saw the gifts again. The Swansea theft was even more upsetting, as the family had also hidden their son's 9th birthday presents and cake in the car. The thieves even took the cake.
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A study by USwitch shows 8 million people in the UK could be vulnerable to this sort of theft, as they hide £1.5 billion of presents in cars. The most popular items hidden in cars include toys (49%), clothes (43%) and even alcohol (29%). The booze is a sign that while most people are hiding presents from their kids, 66% are hiding them from their partner too.

Almost 60% of them won't take any extra precautions to protect the contents of their car. They don't even contact their insurer to increase the level of cover, so four out of ten won't be covered for presents left in the car.

Alternatives

The study found that plenty of people were using more secure hiding places, including 65% hiding them in the wardrobe, 32% under the bed and 30% in the loft. Some 13% leave gifts in the garage, but insurers warn that if any are hidden in sheds or garages, people should take proper precautions to ensure they are carefully locked up.

It's also essential to check your home insurance policy to see exactly how much cover you have for your contents - and whether it's enough to cover the gifts.



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