A black market worth an estimated 60 million pounds has sprung up around expensive baby buggies, Halifax Home Insurance said on Saturday. Thefts of baby strollers have almost doubled over the past year, it added.
The black market is being fuelled by an increase in the sale of buggies costing more than 500 pounds, up 40 percent in the last year. As the price of prams has risen, 23 percent of parents have bought theirs second-hand, the insurer said, adding some families have as many as six.
The number of births is also up in Britain, with the UK Office for National Statistics reporting that in 2008, the total fertility rate — the ratio of live births in an area to its population — was at its highest point in 35 years.
Halifax said the top location for stealing prams was from inside the home, at 22 percent, while 11 percent of people said their buggy was taken from just outside their property.
Car parks, cafes and restaurants were also hot spots.
Halifax said the stolen buggies are sold on auction sites for as much as 599 pounds, with the top models being Bugaboo Bee Plus, Silver Cross 3D, Quinny Zapp and the Maclaren Techno XT.
David Rochester, head of underwriting at the insurer, said: “we recommend all new parents make sure buggies are safely secured when stored in the home, and not left visible in porches or driveways where they can be easily stolen as they are on wheels, enabling a quick getaway.”
Source : Reuters
