MORE than a third of Southampton residents have had a delivery stolen from outside their home, new data has revealed.

New research by home security retailer safe.co.uk found that a total of 39 per cent of Southampton residents have had a parcel stolen from outside their property.

The average value of the stolen goods taken throughout the UK was more than £40, which equates to a total estimated value to be more than £1.1billion.

Seven per cent of the snatched packages in Southampton were valued at £100 or more, and nearly a quarter cost between £50-£100.

Anthony Neary, managing director of safe.co.uk said: “It’s worrying that more than third of people in Southampton have experienced parcels being stolen, in a world where online shopping is part of everyday life.

“We want to warn people in Southampton to hide their gift packaging as it is a huge concern that over a quarter of us display packaging next to our bins.

“If burglars see packaging outside your home for an expensive item, such as a state-of-the-art TV or games console, they are much more likely to target you over your neighbours, so we strongly recommend hiding all packaging where possible.

“Additionally, we can’t stress the importance of installing home security measures to deter criminals in your area enough.”

The research also revealed that a total of 50 per cent of Southampton residents have invested in home security to deter burglars, with the majority investing around £100 on such technology such as a CCTV kit to monitor the doorstep.

The data showed that those aged 25 to 34-years old have had the most parcels stolen from outside their front doors.

Glasgow residents were the worst affected by delivery thefts with 53 per cent saying they have had a parcel stolen.

This was followed by Edinburgh at 51 per cent; Birmingham at 49 per cent; Manchester at 48 per cent; Bristol at 42 per cent; Cardiff at 41 per cent; Belfast at 39 per cent; Norwich at 38 per cent; and Leeds at 37 per cent.