Burglaries 'spread like disease'

Homeowners were told today how to tell if they are likely to be burgled.

A study for the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Faculty has found scientific patterns. And the answer appears to be simple: if your neighbour has been broken into then you are more likely to be targeted yourself.

The study found that burglars prefer streets they have targeted before and homes where they know the lay-out. In the first study of its kind, the researchers adapted techniques normally used to map the spread of diseases to plot where burglars would strike next .

It found that burglaries in a district of Merseyside occurred in clusters and often spread, like a disease, from house to house.