Safest place to live in the UK revealed, according to the locals

published 2 March 2020

A new study has revealed the safest place to live in the UK according to the people who live there.

Edinburgh was crowned the safest city according to its residents. The survey carried out by Smart Home specialist Somfy revealed that 88 per cent of residents in the Scottish capital felt safe and secure where they live.

Safest place to live in the UK

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Plymouth and Bristol came in as the second and third safest cities. 84 per cent of residents in Plymouth felt safe in the city. In Bristol, 79 per cent said they felt safe at home.

In contrast, those living in the North West of the UK were found to feel most vulnerable at home. Only 58 per cent of Liverpudlians said they felt safe, and only 64 per cent of residents felt the same way in Manchester.

In London, only 63 per cent of locals felt safe in the city, in Greater London only 60 per cent felt safe. Unsurprising seeing as the crime rate in the city has increased every year since 2015, and the burglary rate is double the UK average.

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Despite this, shockingly, Londoners were the most laid back when it came to home security. 33 per cent of those surveyed revealed that they never locked their front door when they went out. While, another 48 per cent admitted to never locking their back door.

On average 1 in 4 brits were found to never lock their door when they go out. Even though 1 in 5 had experienced a burglary before.

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'We were extremely surprised that people aren't being more vigilant when it comes to home security. Especially given some have had first-hand experience of burglaries,' says Steven Montgomery, managing director of Somfy UK and Ireland.

'We were also shocked that there wasn't a correlation between the areas perceived unsafe and the efforts people make with security. If you don't feel safe, you should at the very least lock your doors,' he adds.

If you don't feel safe at home you can also consider investing in security cameras or a smart security system.

Do you remember to lock the door when you go out?

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.