Oxford is one of the UK's burglary hot-spots, according to research published today.

It is ranked fifth in a top 10 list of 'at risk' places to live when it comes to house break-ins, coming above large cities such as London, Manchester and Sheffield.

Nottingham topped the list and was followed by Hull, Leeds and Bristol.

The research, carried out by insurance company Endsleigh, showed residents in Oxford made 40 per cent more insurance claims for household theft than the national average.

Endsleigh spokesman Tim Larden said: "Our report underlines the risks which householders face in cities across the UK.

"For those living in the towns and cities which have ranked as the highest risk, such as Oxford, there will be understandable concern."

In the past month in Oxford there have been a number of burglaries in East Oxford and Headington.

Earlier this month, thieves broke into a house in Bullingdon Road, East Oxford, to steal a laptop computer, while a man watched television in another room.

Police have linked the crime to another attempted burglary which happened on the same day in nearby Henley Street.

Two days before that, thieves stole a laptop, personal stereo, DVDs, and cash after forcing open a rear window of a house in Barton Road, Headington.

The burglars escaped with £2,500 of belongings after kicking open two internal doors.

But it was not all bad news for Oxford.

Mr Larden added: "Our research also showed that the at-risk towns and cities such as Oxford are actually showing above average improvements in the numbers of claims being made for theft and we anticipate this positive trend to continue.

"This is in part down to a number of police and community initiatives, such as Neighbourhood Watch schemes, which have been set up to address household security issues."

Endsleigh's report compared the frequency of theft claims in different UK towns and cities with the national average reported to the company.

The latest crime statistics available from Thames Valley Police showed domestic burglary in Oxford was down by three per cent and other burglary had dropped by seven per cent year-on-year.

The figures relate to July to September last year.