The Festival Goer's Guide to Security

Over the years festivals have increased in popularity, when Glastonbury first opened in 1970 just 1,500 people attended and in more recent years there are around 150,000 people attending Glastonbury each year (KGBAnswers). According to the Female First festival goers will spend more than £1,600 a year attending summer music events. On average festival goers will spend an average of £450.18 on tickets and an estimated £203.97 whilst at the music festival on food and drink.  

 

With the popularity of festivals increasing over the years this has also seen an increase in the risk of crimes such as theft...  

According to the Telegraph one in seven festival goers have been a victim of theft, summer 2010 saw an estimated £190,000 worth of possessions stolen from UK festival goers with a reported 945 reported incidents at seven of the UK’s biggest festivals. The average unattended tent will contain valuables such mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, designer clothing and shoes which total an average of £928.    

Here are some tips and advice about keeping your valuables safe and secure at a festival... 

 

• Try to take only the essentials with you! The fewer valuables you bring the less likely you are to be a victim of theft.

• If you do decide to bring any expensive items register them for free, then if it is stolen and recovered it can be returned. Visit www.immobilise.com to register your property.

• Do not leave any valuables in your car.

• If you have used a sat nav remove any suction marks on the windscreen.

• Don’t bring large amounts of money/expensive jewellery, watches, neck chains etc. or any costume jewellery that appears to be of value.

• If you do bring valuables don’t leave them in your tent or car – put them in the on-site lockers. These can usually be booked in advance and are open 24 hours a day.

• Mark any valuables with your details. You can do this with a UV pen.

• Insurance provider Aviva advise extending your home and contents insurance to include personal belongings cover otherwise you may end up facing a bill of replacing lost or stolen items.

For more comprehensive security tips visit our dedicated security tips page.

 

Summertime Home Security

We’ve all been enjoying the return of the glorious hot weather this week! According to The Guardian the hot weather is set to continue and warm weather is expected for events such as Glastonbury and Wimbledon.

Don’t let your home security lapse this summer!

Unfortunately the exceptionally high temperatures are not great for uPVC or wooden doors as changes in heat can often cause doors to swell or shrink. Potentially, these changes can unfortunately leave your property unsecure, as you may be unable to unlock or worse lock your door, leaving your home vulnerable to break-in. When a door swells or shrinks it’s often a simple case of calling a highly skilled and trained locksmith to fix the problem for you, making ongoing accessibility much easier during those hot summer days, leaving you far less likely to find yourself locked out when you return from a day on the beach!

Problems with your door can be caused by a variety of other factors during the summer; a common cause being simple wear and tear especially when everyone is more partial to popping in and out of the back garden to top up the tan. This can also cause security issues for your home, especially if you’re unable to lock up due to the lock being damaged by continuous use. This problem can also be solved by calling a local locksmith to your home who will be more than willing to fix or replace any locks that have been damaged by wear and tear.  

Also, don’t forget to secure your home even when just popping out to the garden, this includes the window you have left open to catch the rare breeze. Leaving any doors or windows open during a sunbathing session in the garden could leave your home unsecure and pretty much a burglar’s dream of entering your property undetected whilst you’re in the garden.  According to statistics provided in this fantastic UK Burglary report provided by Tesco Compare 73% of burglars use a door to gain entry and in 3% of cases the door was open.   

Watch our Home Security tips video below to find out more about keeping your home secure this summer...

 

Useful links - Locked Out? Lost Keys? Burgled? Locks Changed?