Almost one in five (18%) young people aged between 25-34 say that they have had their home broken into in the past five years, according to Ocean Finance, compared to just 6% of the overall UK population.

Over half of those who have been the victims of a break in during the past five years moved house as a result of the crime (52%), rising to 63% of 25-34 year olds.

By contrast, just 2% of people over 55 say that they have had their homes burgled in the past five years, making young people nine times more likely to have their homes broken into than the over 55s.

Safe as houses

The majority of UK adults (64%) say that they always feel safe in their own homes. But among young people aged 18-24 this drops to 55% and for those 25-34 the figure is 53%.

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Older people feel more secure, with 73% of those aged over 55 feeling safe in their own homes.

London is the region with the highest number of home invasions – with one in 10 saying they been a victim in the past five years. By contrast the proportion in Scotland and Northern Ireland is 4%.

Ian Williams, from Ocean Finance, said: “The vast majority of people feel safe at home most of the time and property crime is still comparatively rare.

“Overall, younger homeowners, particularly in urban areas, are far more likely than any other group to be burgled.”