St Albans has come second in a list of the UK’s burglary hotspots, based on the average value of possessions stolen.

Thieves targeting the cathedral city walked away with the second highest hauls in the country between January 2016 and April 2017, according to new data.

Privilege home insurance looked at burglary claims during that period and found that the average value of items stolen in St Albans stood at £4,892, behind chart-topper Lichfield, Staffordshire, with £5,180.

Durham, Cambridge and Coventry made up the rest of the top five burglary hotspots in the UK according to the value of items stolen, while London came eighth.

Burglars in Bath were walking away with the smallest hauls, with an average of £1,322 worth of possessions being claimed for in the Somerset town following break-ins.

Christian Mendes, head of Privilege home insurance, said: “Interestingly, we can see the average value of stolen goods from households in smaller cities equates to more than some of the UK’s larger cities.”