Drivers have been advised to take care when parking their car to avoid one kind of car crime (Image: Getty)
Drivers living in five popular parts of the country have been urged to take extra care to keep an important component of their car safe from .
Whilst the number of catalytic converters has steadily decreased over recent years, new figures from the service has found there are still several hotspots across the UK.
Tom Banks, at Go.Compare, suggested that drivers living in a hotspot area should be their vehicle in order to reduce the risk of their catalytic converter being stolen.
He warned: “The spikes here could be due to other factors, like differences in each police force’s reporting methods or some areas having fewer to report as they made preventing them a higher priority.
“This means there’s no need for any undue panic, but it could be worth taking some extra precautions to protect your vehicle. Try to park in a garage or next to a wall in a well-lit area, and avoid mounting the kerb.”
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Catalytic converters can cost between £150 and over £1,000 to replace, depending on the car (Image: Getty)
According to Go.Compare, the worst area for catalytic converter thefts during 2023 was Cambridgeshire, with one case for every 1,292 vehicles registered in the area.
Whilst some parts of the country had a higher number of recorded incidents over the 12-month period, the smaller number of vehicles on the roads in Cambridgeshire meant that the likelihood of thefts was significantly higher than elsewhere.
Previously, Cambridgeshire Police announced that they had broken up three organised crime groups that had collectively stolen 758 catalytic converters, but they had urged drivers to stay vigilant.
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Cambridge had the highest number of thefts per vehicle in the UK during 2023 (Image: Getty)
The area with the highest number of cases of catalytic converter thefts in 2023 was Greater London, with the Metropolitan Police recording 1,103 cases.
As a result, Go.Compare highlighted that there was one theft for every 2,351 vehicles over the 12 months.
Nottinghamshire was another hot spot for thefts, with the company noting 144 catalytic converters were stolen in 2023 – giving drivers odds of one in 2,978.
Top five worst areas for catalytic converter thefts (ratio of thefts per car):
- Cambridgeshire – 1:1,292
- Hertfordshire – 1:2,076
- Greater London – 1:2,351
- Gwent – 1:2,646
- Nottinghamshire – 1:2,978