Top UK tourist spots for thieves

Legoland attracts about 1.5 million visitors every year

Smash-and-grab car thieves target cars parked at beaches and major tourist attractions, according to research.

Visitors to places such as Legoland at Windsor, Alton Towers and the Eden Project as well as beaches in Blackpool and Bournemouth are under threat.

The Autoglass company revealed there are now nearly 2.5 million attacks on cars a year.

A typical haul from a smash and grab attack is now £458 compared to £329 last year, the research said.

TOP CAR CRIME TOURIST SPOTS Legoland Oakwood Theme Park Chester Zoo Stirling Castle Lake Windermere Flamingo Land Theme Park Alton Towers Brecon Beacons The Eden Project Canterbury

The figures are based on Autoglass research on car body glass jobs it had undertaken in the summer months at tourist sites excluding major cities.

Nigel Doggett, managing director of Autoglass, said: "Our figures suggest that people leaving towns and cities to visit seaside resorts or rural beauty spots aren't taking as much care as they might at home.

"There's a feeling that motorists take precautions in urban areas but drop their guard when they leave their local area.

"This means criminals have rich pickings from the belongings left on display in family cars."

The top beach resorts experiencing an increase in car crime are Blackpool, Weston-super-Mare, Great Yarmouth, Eastbourne, Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Torquay.