With the big day approaching, no one wants to add to their stress by thinking too much about home security, but it is a time when we spend long periods away visiting relatives leaving our homes vulnerable to possible burglars.

Nothing advertises an empty house more than Christmas lights that have been put up but not switched on, or are on during the day, so make sure your lights have a timer. If you have lights that have electrical leads coming into your house, it is easy to forget to lock the windows where the lead comes in, so double check this has been done, especially on wooden windows, as the lead can be used to pull the window open enough to get a tool in that might be able to manipulate the handles from the outside.

Check your insurance documentation. Many insurers are now stating that locks be rated BS 3621. That means whether your door is wooden, upvc or metal, the lock should have a distinct kite mark. The insurance sellers might not tell you this at point of sale, and most of my security upgrades are the result of people actually reading the policy documents and finding they were not covered. While rare, burglaries do happen in Norfolk. Yale have a mobile phone application that will tell you how many burglaries have occurred in the last month within a mile of any post code you enter. Its free and easy to use so worth downloading. Not to scare you but to just be aware.

Finally, AC Locksmiths would like to wish all our customers and blog readers a safe, secure, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!