OXFORD is one of the UK's burglary hot-spots, according to research published this week.

It is ranked fifth in a top-ten list of 'at risk' places to live when it comes to house break-ins, coming above 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 are 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 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 worth of belongings after kicking open two internal doors.

But it is 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.

Thames Valley Police said the figures issued by Endsleigh were not crime statistics and did not give an accurate picture of domestic burglary in Oxford, but emphasised that reducing break-ins was a priority for the force.

Spokesman Tim Wiseman said: "Oxford is a university city with many students and there is an issue with multi-occupancy houses which can be a target for burglars.

"This is one that we continue to address, however, we do need people to take better precautions."

Oxford police are working towards reducing the number of burglaries in the city by 15 per cent year-on-year. During the period April 2005 to March this year there were 1,116 burglaries compared to 1,330 the previous year, a 16 per cent drop.