Two Pembrokeshire seaside spots have been rated among the safest in the country for vehicle crimes.
Both Porthgain and Fishguard have been singled out in a study by Scrap Car Comparison To find out which seaside locations experience the highest levels of vehicle related crime.
The popular Porthgain with its acclaimed eateries and pretty harbour recorded no car crimes at all in 2023, while nearby Fishguard only had one reported incident.
At the opposite end of the spectrum Bournemouth was ranked the worst for car crimes, with 493 reported last year, with South Sheilds following closely behind with 458 reported incidents.
The analysts used the Police UK crime map to analyse the number of vehicle crimes reported during 2023, in over 200 coastal locations.
“With summer holiday season almost upon us, sun seekers will be looking forward to loading up the car and heading to the beach, but if there’s one thing that’ll ruin a trip to the seaside more than bad weather, it’s having your car damaged or stolen,” said Scrap Car Comparison.
“Especially on a hot day, seaside parking can offer an open invitation to opportunist thieves that take their chances on car owners being away from their vehicles for long periods of time, leading to a spike in car crime.
“Across all of the seaside locations analysed in the study, the summer months unsurprisingly saw the highest levels of vehicle crime, with an average of 8 per cent more reports made to the police in June, July and August than during any other season.”
The research revealed that the Welsh coast is much less of a stomping ground for thieves than elsewhere in Britain, with multiple seaside locations receiving extremely low reports of vehicle crime during the whole of 2023.
David Kottaun, Operation Manager at Scrap Car Comparison said: “Parking at a popular beach, just like parking in a busy city or at a football ground, can bring with it opportunist thieves who will take a chance on drivers being away from their cars, so there’s three simple things to always make sure you do before unfurling the beach towel and settling on the sand.”
He recommends always ensuring that your car is locked, taking valuables with you and choosing your parking space wisely.
“Any driver can do these three things and you’ll instantly be more at ease when soaking up the sun,”
he said.
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