Burglars are passing over televisions and videos in favour of jewelry, cash and handbags, a leading insurer warns.

The lures of identity theft have caused the number of stolen credit cards to triple whilst theft involving purses, handbags and wallets has doubled, according to More Than

Some £1 billion worth of items are stolen every year from UK homes with those without adequate security measures in place six times more likely to get burgled.

Homes with younger occupants or single parents along with those in Yorkshire, the north-west or the East Midlands are most likely to be targeted.

David Pitt, head of insurance at More Than, said: "Increased household security has made an impact on the opportunist thief as has the falling price of consumer goods like videos and DVD players.

"However we are seeing a general increase in valuable items in the home that are attractive to more organised thefts and we are very concerned at the link between burglary and identity theft. The best advice is to take sensible preventative measures."

More Than advises that keys and wallets are kept out of sight and away from windows or doors where the burglar may be able to reach in. Valuable items should be marked with an ultra-violet security pen.

Homeowners should ensure that windows, doors and gates are locked when going out, even for a short period of time.

When going away on holiday, ask a neighbour to keep an eye on the house and push any post through the letterbox.