UK’s Porch Pirates: Survey reveals Cardiff as the city with highest chance of getting your parcel stolen

Ordering home deliveries has become more convenient to everyone in the past couple of years. Though we may be getting back out and about, home deliveries are not slowing down – however, with this, neither are parcel thieves. 

New research by Compare the Market has revealed that around 12.2 million Brits have experienced having their parcels stolen, often from outside their front door – and Cardiff has the highest percentage of residents experiencing parcel theft in the UK.

According to the survey, the top 5 main UK cities for parcel theft are: 

1. Cardiff – 34.25%
2. Norwich -28.92%
3. London – 28.71%
4. Manchester – 25.58%
5. Belfast – 24.14%

Whilst nearly every cities residents unfortunately experiences parcel theft, there are some cities that Compare the Market’s survey found to be a ‘safer place’ for residents parcels: 

1. Sheffield – 12.12%
2. Newcastle – 12.36%
3. Plymouth- 16.36% 
4. Leeds – 16.39%
5. Southampton – 17.20% 

The most commonly stolen items? 

1 Clothes, shoes and accessories (37%)

2 Gifts (21%)

3 Tech and electronics (14%)

You can find Compare the Market’s full study into the UK’s stolen deliveries here: https://www.comparethemarket.com/home-insurance/content/stolen-deliveries/ 

One in five Brits have had a parcel stolen from their home

• Research from comparethemarket.com has discovered that 12.2 million Brits have experienced parcel theft
  
• Cardiff is found to have the highest rate of parcel theft with 34% of residents saying they’ve had a parcel stolen
  
• One in 10 (10%) Brits believe that stolen deliveries are covered under their home insurance
  

Getting deliveries to your home is a great modern convenience. However, can sometimes be unpredictable and frustrating, with the multitude of issues that can arise. 

New research from comparethemarket.com has found that 12.2 million Brits have had a parcel stolen. A study of 2,000 UK residents reveals the parcel theft hotspots across the UK, along with the most commonly stolen items.

Cardiff has the highest rate of parcel theft

Cardiff ranks as the city with the highest rate of parcel theft with 34% of residents admitting to having a parcel stolen. Norwich (29%) and London (28%) followed closely in second and third place.

City	% of residents that have experienced parcel theft
Cardiff	34%
Norwich	29%
London	28%
Manchester	26%
Belfast	24%

However, when looking at the locations with the lowest percentage of residents that have had a delivery stolen, Sheffield came out as the safest place, with only 12% of residents saying they’ve experienced parcel theft.

Over one-third (37%) of stolen parcels contain clothes, shoes or accessories

It has been found that those shopping for a new wardrobe should be extra cautious, as 37% of stolen parcels contain clothing and accessories, followed by 21% containing gifts, and 14% containing technology and electronic accessories.

Item	% delivered items stolen
Clothing, shoes and accessories	37%
Gifts	21%
Technology and electronic accessories	14%
Baby/child goods	10%
Food and groceries	9%

17% of Brits have contacted the police after having their parcel stolen

The survey found that after finding out a parcel has been stolen, 55% contacted the delivery company, and 50% contacted the retailer the delivery came from. 

As theft is a crime, it comes as no surprise that almost 17%  say they have contacted the police to report their stolen delivery. However, while it’s important to report crime, the police won’t be able to help with getting you a refund or a replacement. 

Can you claim stolen deliveries on your insurance?

As many as 51% are unsure as to whether they can claim on their home or contents insurance after having a parcel stolen, and one in 10 believe that they can. 

Not all home insurance policies will cover a delivery stolen from outside the home. It’s important to check individual policy’s terms and conditions, as this may fall under “contents left in the garden” or “contents left in the open” as it’s often called, which may be excluded in some policies. 

You can view the full findings of the research here: https://www.comparethemarket.com/home-insurance/content/stolen-deliveries/ 

Methodology

The survey data collected for this study was based on a survey of 2,026 UK citizens, which took place in May 2022. 

To determine the number of Brits who have been impacted by stolen deliveries, we multiplied the survey results by the 2022 UK adult population – 53.93 million. (source: The World Population Review)