Following plans by the government to let burglars get away with lighter punishments there is a need for homeowners to beef up security and take out adequate home insurance.

Giving the advice Virgin Money warned the homeowners may be left with no alternative than taking the law into their own hands if bothered by burglars.

Although Home Office figures suggest that the number of burglaries in the UK has dramatically reduced, the recent announcement by the Justice Secretary that homeowners have the right to use force against intruders could trigger off more frequent use of force to tackle burglary as opposed to boosting security measures.

More than one-in-six homeowners keep a weapon in their bedrooms just in case intruders break into their property, a study by Virgin Money suggests.

And 92 per cent of people claimed they were ready to physically defend their home from security breach by intruders, just as 87 per cent said they believe the law favours criminals.

It was also found that about 22 per cent of Brits have no contents insurance, while 38 per cent don’t have buildings insurance.