Blog originally from homesecuritymonth.com

It’s a fun night for the whole family. Unfortunately, Bonfire Night is ruined all too often by burglars. Here’s how to stop intruders causing fireworks in your home.

Bonfire Night is one of the UK’s most popular annual events, with families and communities gathering around the local bonfire and enjoying the fireworks.

But criminals have spotted this as an opportunity to ruin the fun. As most people attend local fireworks displays, burglars have realised that many homes are left empty which has led to an increase in burglaries of 22% over a normal autumn night*.

To combat this trend, we’ve put together a list of simple tips to help you keep your home safe and ensure the festive fun doesn’t fizzle out on your return home…

It’s easy to get lax on security when you’re only headed to the local bonfire for an hour or two. But it only takes a couple of minutes for a burglar to get into your home. Make sure your home is securely locked up before heading out.

Make it look like you’re still at home

A few simple measures, such as leaving the TV and a few lights switched on, is a simple deterrent. If an intruder is not 100% sure that no is home, they’re much less likely to attempt a break-in.

Lock upClose the curtains

Although it’s beneficial to leave on a few lights, you don’t want to turn your home into a window display. So, close curtains (particularly downstairs) to avoid prying eyes locking onto your precious stuff.

Let your gates squeak!

When the darker nights and autumn rain come around, your gate might develop a slight squeak due to the wetter weather. Don’t be tempted to oil it—a noisy gate will put off intruders, who want to enter a home as quietly as possible.