Teesdale homes the least likely to be burgaled

Aug 3 2009 by Neil McKay, The Journal

PEOPLE living in a rural pocket of County Durham are the least likely to have their homes burgled, according to new statistics.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling has released a league table of burglary hotspots in the UK, revealing the most and least likely places to suffer from burglary.

Last year just 14 house burglaries were recorded in Teesdale, a large but sparsely populated area where the main town is Barnard Castle, but which also has numerous picturesque villages such as Cotherstone, Romaldkirk, Staindrop and Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Teesdale came top of a list of top 20 burglary “cold spots” – or places where householders are least likely to be broken into.

And the good news for the north is that Berwick, Alnwick and Tynedale districts also made the top 20 safest districts, at six, eleven and 13 respectively.

Further good news is that not one of the region’s inner city areas made the official top 20 burglary “hotspots” – areas where you are most likely to be paid an unwelcome visit.