Car thefts in Gloucestershire declined faster than anywhere else in England and Wales last year.

There were 1,838 vehicles reported stolen in 2021, almost a third (31 per cent) less than in 2020.

The figures are part of a study conducted by  A-Plan Insurance which has stores in Gloucester and Cheltenham. It used  Home Office data for each Police Force Area to calculate the rate of crime according to the number of thefts per household. 

Hampshire was the area where vehicle theft increased the most per household, with 9,760 vehicles reported stolen, a 22 per cent increase from 2020.

London had the highest rate of vehicle theft last year with 100,185 cars stolen, equating to 11.1. vehicle thefts per thousand households. However, compared to 2020, car thefts in the capital were down by nine per cent.

The West Midlands had the second highest number of cars stolen, 30,608, equating to 10.4 per thousand households. Greater Manchester came third with 25,495 thefts, or nine cars stolen per thousand households.

At the other end of the scale, Dyfed-Powys, in Wales, is the place where drivers can be most confident their car won’t get stolen, with 623 vehicle thefts in 2021. This means just 1.2 cars were stolen per thousand households.

A spokesperson for A-Plan said: "Theft is one of the main concerns for drivers, especially if you live in an area like London or the West Midlands, where there's a higher risk of your vehicle being stolen than there is in somewhere like Dyfed-Powys and Cumbria.

"It's interesting to see that some of the places with the highest vehicle crime rates are improving, though, and drivers can rest easier by making sure they have adequate insurance cover for their vehicles to protect them from theft and other risks."