POLICE have issued a stark warning to holidaymakers not to 'advertise' online to burglars that their home is empty.

Cleveland Police have launched the public awareness campaign after an online survey found that 58 per cent of people who were questioned had posted status updates or photographs of themselves out of their house.

A further 59 per cent of people also said that they did not know everyone who had access to their profile, the survey found.

Cleveland Police questioned 100 people online as part of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of burglary prevention and police action against burglars.

The survey asked whether social media users had checked their privacy settings and whether they personally know everyone who has access to their profile.

A total of 38 per cent of those who were surveyed said that they had been a victim of burglary, however, 18 per cent of these said they would still be likely or highly likely to post on social media about when they are out of the house.

Travel agents in the area are being asked to distribute crime prevention postcards to their customers to raise awareness of the dangers of posting on social media when they are going away on holiday.

Detective Inspector Glen Westmoreland said: “The survey that we have carried out has shown that some people are unaware of the risk that they are taking when posting on social media and in distributing these postcards, we are hoping to highlight that risk to those who may be booking holidays or going abroad or even just going out for the night."

Judith Maloy, Teesside region manager of travel agents Dawson and Sanderson, explained the company is backing the campaign. She said: “We understand that we all should be more careful with our use of social media so anything that helps our clients have an enjoyable and carefree holiday is most welcome.”

Cleveland Police crime prevention advice to protect your home includes:

• Always lock your doors and windows.

• Make your home look occupied with use of plug-in timers to illuminate your home during hours of darkness.

• Keep the rear of your premises secure and ensure that side rear gates are locked. Do not provide easy access to the rear of your property.

• Use of dusk to dawn lighting, particularly to the rear of the property, will help to deter burglars.

• Use an alarm.

• Make sure your items are traceable by post-coding your property with your house number using a UV pen.

For further crime prevention advice visit the Crime Prevention section on the Cleveland Police website at www.cleveland.police.uk