Wingate branded one of the country’s car crime hotspots

Research by moneysupermarket.

com found that more motorists from Wingate, a former pit village in County Durham, had been victims of car theft than anywhere in the country in the past 12 months – except for Chislehurst, in London.

A total of 3.72 per cent of Wingate motorists made an insurance claim for theft from or of a car during the year.

But the study baffled and shocked councillors, residents and police.

Villager John Cairns said: “I got a shock. I thought: ‘that can’t be right’.

“I am not saying we are perfect and everything’s hunkydory, but I cannot think we are any worse than anywhere else round here.

“I think it paints a bad picture of the place. We are trying to make the place more attractive.”

Independent county councillor Joan Maslin said: “I have not got much faith in these surveys. Personally I cannot see how it can be worse than anywhere else.”

Labour colleague Len O’Donnell said he was shocked, but hoped the survey would serve as a wake-up call to people not to leave items on view on car seats.

He said: “I would really love to see the figures. There is absolutely no comparison between the village of Wingate and any inner-city areas.

Police said there were 153 vehicle crimes in the Wingate area between September last year and August this year, meaning the village was not even in the ten worst hotspots in County Durham.

Chief Inspector Elaine Taylor said: “It did come as a surprise.

We monitor crime figures on a regular basis and keep in touch with the community.

“We do police and community together meetings every month and car crime has never come up as an issue.”

A spokeswoman for moneysupermarket.

com said the survey was not saying Wingate was an unsafe place, but urged people to be more safety conscious.