October 2005

The growing disenchantment of British homeowners with traditional net curtains is providing a 'shop window' for burglars looking for valuable possessions to steal.

According to a new survey, 40% of British homes no longer have any covering on their ground floor windows, placing valuable goods such as televisions, computers and music systems in full view of potential thieves.

Items most frequently on view in front rooms of homes are televisions (26%), music systems (7%) and antiques and ornaments (7%). The younger a home's occupier, the more likely it is to have electrical equipment on view.

Only 39% of people living on the ground floor of a building have net curtains fitted to the window of their front room.

A surprising 58% of home owners do not close their curtains when they leave their house empty for a prolonged period of time such as going on holiday.

The survey was conducted by NOP on behalf of UK insurance company NIG.

NIG's Director of Personal Lines, Adrian Harris, said: "It's common sense that leaving valuable goods on display is asking for trouble, but more and more of us seem to be doing that unconsciously with our homes.

"Taking down net curtains may well be in keeping with the latest fashion, but it does create a shop window for burglars deciding whether or not to break into a property. The more they can see in your front room, the more likely it is that they will try to gain entry.

"If you don't have nets, it's certainly worth thinking about some other sort of window covering or making sure that valuable goods aren't easily on view."

Two thirds of those surveyed (69%) said that they did not have net curtains because they 'just don't like them'. Nearly half (47%) considered them to be unfashionable, while 38% felt they attracted dirt and needed washing.

Most people surveyed felt that net curtains were in decline in the UK (68%), with this view being held most strongly in the North (77%) and least strongly in the South (62%)

Regional highlights

• 55% of people surveyed in the Meridian television region have net curtains, the highest percentage in Britain. Scots are the least likely to have nets (16%).
• Residents of the Tyne Tees regions are most likely to draw their curtains when away on holiday (55%) while those in the Central regions are the least likely (36%).