Mobile phone theft is worst in Glasgow, closely followed by Belfast, Liverpool and notorious hotbed of crime, Chelmsford in Essex, according to research conducted by insurance company CPP.

The figures show that most phones are stolen while their owners are having a drink with friends in a pub or bar, with 22% of such thefts occurring in this environment. This compares to 9% who said their phone had been taken while they were in the street.

The majority of thieves strike in the early evening and the busiest time for stealing mobiles is early in the evening, while the most popular months are the first two weeks of May and the last two weeks of July.

Although half of mobile phone owners who have them stolen feel annoyed that they did not look after them better, people are becoming more vigilant. Around half of victims reported the theft within the hour.

CPP has produced a checklist of tips to enable people to keep their phones safe, including the advice to note down the IMEI number on the handset’s battery case as the service provider can use this to blacklist stolen phones.