Residents with a postcode starting BA15 are far more likely to be burgled than anyone else in Wiltshire’s towns.

This is according to a recent investigation which analysed 7 million home insurance quotes to find the UK postcodes with the highest and lowest rates of burglary claims since 2020.

Certain areas of Wiltshire have raised concern in the study, carried out by firm MoneySuperMarket.

Excluding the city of Salisbury, which is by far the worst area for burglary in the county,  Wiltshire ranks 312th out of 2,377 UK postcode areas.

Wiltshire’s ‘burglary hotspots’ most likely to be affected include Bradford-on-Avon and Royal Wootton Bassett, on opposite ends of the county.

In Bradford-on-Avon, covered by the postcode district BA15, an average of 21 insurance claims in every 1000 are related to burglary.

In Royal Wootton Bassett, this is an average of 15 in every 1000 insurance claims, in the postcode area SN4.

This is much higher than other towns such as Melksham, which has the lowest amount of burglaries in Wiltshire.

Melksham residents can sleep easy knowing only 2 in every 1000 insurance claims will be from residents who have been burgled.

Wiltshire Times: Here's how the situation is looking across Wiltshire.Here's how the situation is looking across Wiltshire. (Image: MoneySuperMarket)

On a national scale, Birmingham has been named as the UK’s number one burglary hotspot, with an average of 58 claims per 1,000 quotes in the B94 postcode district.

Postcode areas with the lowest amount of burglaries include PE15 in Cambridgeshire and SY23 in Aberystwyth, Wales.

“While it’s not a surprise to see the list of burglary hotspots dominated by large cities like Birmingham, it is interesting to learn that a large proportion of people in rural areas aren’t protecting their homes with a burglar alarm,” said David McDermottre, home insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket.

“Unfortunately, the extra time spent away from our homes since people have gone back to work post-covid has provided burglars with more opportunities.

“In fact, our research found that burglary claims last year were 106% higher than those recorded in 2020, rising from 7.79 to 16.01 per 1,000 quotes,” he added.

The home insurance expert has advised that no matter how much of a burglary hotspot your postcode is, it is always a good idea to take preventative measures.

“This can be things like installing an alarm, investing in decent locks for windows and doors and keeping valuables such as laptops and keys out of sight,” Mr McDermottre explained.

“It will not only make homes less attractive to burglars, but it will be harder for them to break in.”

You can check exactly how your postcode ranks using MoneySuperMarket’s interactive search feature here.