Holidaymakers at theft risk, warns Halifax

Holidaymakers are easy targets for thieves, Halifax has warned.

In the last five years, British holidaymakers had more than £2.7 billion worth of their possessions stolen, reports the bank.

This makes a total of 7.2 million UK travellers that have fallen victim to theft overseas.

The insurance provider points out that more than half of the cost could not be reclaimed because the owners travel insurance was insufficient.

"There is usually very little authorities abroad can do to recover your stolen items, especially in holiday resorts where its easy for a thief to blend in with the crowd," said Paul Birkhead from Halifax travel insurance.

He added that many tourists seem unaware that, if they do have something stolen, they need to report it to local authorities in order to claim it back from their insurer.

"With recovery unlikely victims must ensure they obtain a crime number or report from the police – without it they will be unable to claim for their loss," Mr Birkhead explained.

A recent survey by Barclays Insurance showed that 14 per cent of the UK holidaymakers questioned had been victims of theft abroad.