In winter, burglaries increase by 25%, An Garda Siochana has advised homeowners and has drawn up a helpful list of checks people can do to help reduce the risk of a burglary.

Over 40% of burglaries in winter occur between 5pm and 11pm and the Gardai says that burglars like easy opportunities and if they have to make a lot of noise, spend a lot of time or risk being seen, the chances are they won’t bother.

Earlier this year, the Gardai issued a great infographic on burglary prevention tips over the winter.

It has compiled a check-list for homeowners over winter – how many have you ticked off?