A burglar's paradise - more pocket-sized gadgets.

Small ipods, hand-held Playstation2s, digital cameras - all things techie are getting smaller, increasingly sophisticated, and ever more desirable. This minaturisation is great news for burglars - as many items can slip into their pockets with ease, especially if they are left lying around on a bedside table or a kitchen counter. So with the chance of being burgled at 1 in 24*, it's vital to be properly insured.

And the same goes for covering personal possessions away from the home. Gadgets and gizmos are now well and truly handbag-sized. Many of us are already carrying a small fortune around on a daily basis. It's crucial to have ample cover to replace 'portable belongings' in case they are lost or stolen whilst out and about.

Looking at the nation as a whole, the report also predicts a dramatic rise in the number of household gadgets cluttering up UK homes over the next 10 years - up by a staggering 60%.

Nikki Sellers, Head of Home Insurance at esure, said: "We've all witnessed the online silver surfer phenomenon and will soon be entering the era of the grey-haired gadget-loving granny. Couples with grown-up kids - the biggest spenders on household goods and gadgets - will retire in homes that are incomparable to those of today's pensioners."

"As the list of must-have gadgets lengthens, the value of what's inside all our homes is rising fast. And in this age of minaturisation, it's important for expensive gizmos to be tucked away into drawers, cupboards and handbags, out of sight of burglars. But the danger is for homeowners to overlook these items when estimating the value of their contents - which could leave them under-insured and vulnerable if a burglar does strike."

Sources:

CEBR (Centre of Economic Business Research) - an independent economics and business research consultancy - produced an analysis of the insurance needs of tomorrow's households for esure in March 2005. It is the first piece of research to systematically analyse how changes in society and lifestyles will influence insurance needs.

* CEBR calculations based on the British Crime Survey.