REMEMBER home security before going away this winter, says insurance expert Hiscox. The company is urging winter holidaymakers to tighten their home security rather than hiding valuables in "unusual" places.

Burglars often head straight for locations such as biscuit tins, shoes and toilet cisterns, knowing they have become popular hideaways for jewellery, ornaments and other valuables.

Kevin Kerridge, director of Hiscox Online (www.hiscoxonline.com) - Hiscox's online home insurance service - said: "Burglars search differently from the way most of us would do. They will tip drawers upside down to search quickly and they will pour out the contents of flour, biscuit or sugar tins to see what is inside.

"Modern burglars will look under the mattress and search the loft simply because experience shows these have become some of the more popular hiding places - and time and time again they will be successful. In short, there are no good hiding places."

A survey by Hiscox showed that 65 per cent of respondents had hidden valuables at home in a place such as a biscuit tin or laundry basket. The survey also showed that nearly one in five respondents believed the toilet cistern was the safest place to hide valuables while 16 per cent said an empty shoe was the place a burglar would never look.

One in 10 said a wardrobe or cupboard was the best hiding place. Mr Kerridge added: "These places may seem like a good place to hide jewellery or ornaments when leaving the house empty for a week or two, but in reality they are not.

"Burglars will aim to search as many places as they can. If you are going away this winter, remember a good home security system is the best measure. Our homes and contents are valuable to all of us, so we should make sure we are insuring them and securing them. "

For further advice, visit www.hiscox.com