If you’re keen to buy a home in a safe neighbourhood, where there’s a low risk of flooding, burglaries or criminal damage, then help could be at hand. Virgin Money Home Insurance has revealed details of the safest places to live in England and Wales.

According to the findings from Virgin Money Home Insurance, homeowners in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea can breathe a sigh of relief, as they’re living in the safest place (and also some of the most expensive properties in London). Next up in the safe ranks are Dudley, in the West Midlands and Poole in Dorset, which were both noted for having a low number of burglaries. The news isn’t quite so cheery for those living in Doncaster, as the researchers claim that the South Yorkshire town is the least safe place to own a home.

The findings were based on a rating system that measured the riskiness of various factors for the major towns and cities in England and Wales. Places were ranked, for example, in terms of the amount of criminal damage reported, the number of burglaries committed, the risk of flooding and the amount of protection on offer from local police and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Along with Doncaster, the next two cities on the not-so-safe list were Sheffield and Nottingham. They all suffered from higher risks of burglary, flooding and criminal damage. Despite doing well overall in the survey, it was noted, however, that Kensington and Chelsea does have a high risk of burglaries.

crime, places to live, safe neighbourhoods

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