Tweet 1 of every 7 British don't feel safe at their own home

One in seven Britons do not feel safe in their own home at night, according to a new survey.

Younger people felt even less secure, with one in five of those aged 18 to 24 saying they did not feel safe at night in their home.

Four in 10 people even admitted they keep something nearby, from a heavy torch to a kitchen knife, which they would use as a weapon to protect themselves and their property against intruders.

Just seven out of 10 people aged 18 to 24 said they felt safe in their home at night, compared with nine out of 10 of those aged 55 or over, the poll showed.

British security laws came under scrutiny in 1999 when farmer Tony Martin was arrested and charged with attempted murder, after he shot and killed Fred Barras who together with Brendon Fearon had broken into his farmhouse in Hungate, Norfolk.

Teenager Barras died at the scene, and Martin was later convicted of murder and imprisoned for three years.

His trial raised a number of questions with regards to homeland laws that permits a person to kill in self defence, only if he or she is deemed to use no more than 'reasonable force.'

Allianz's research highlights the number of UK residents who like Martin have taken their own precautions, in light of new government cuts that will see fewer police patrolling the streets of Britain.

A spokesman for the Police Federation said: 'It is understandable that people are feeling vulnerable at the moment as they witness fall in police numbers and a rise in the number or reported burglaries.'

The survey of 2,000 people also found three in five Britons expected burglary levels to rise in the next two years while the same proportion thought their homes were not completely secure.

Last month, figures from the British Crime Survey (BCS), which is based on interviews with people in more than 45,000 households, showed burglaries rose 14% in 2010/11 compared with the previous year, when burglaries fell by 9%.

About one in 40 households had been the victim of a burglary or attempted burglary in the last year, according to the BCS.

Gareth McChesney, of insurance firm Allianz UK, said: 'Our research shows a distinct gap between how much people fear being burgled and the measures they put into place to protect their homes.'

Two in five people over 55 utilise security measures, such as using locks on all doors and windows, every time they leave their house, compared with just three in 10 people aged 18 to 24, the survey revealed.

Tags: Knife, Weapon, British Security, Farmhouse, Victim, Households