They admit to having  a golf club, baseball bat or at least a heavy torch next to the bed.

And more than half of those who secretly keep weapons of this sort are willing to use them in ­self-defence if they are confronted by a burglar, according to a new survey.

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said yesterday: “What a sad indictment when the public feel more safe by having a weapon by their bed before they go to sleep.”

Research by insurance com­pany Cornhill Direct found that 30 per cent of those surveyed said they keep an object to hand to use against intruders.

In Leeds 38 per cent of people have a weapon in the home because they feel unsafe there. And in Liverpool, that figure rises to 42 per cent.

Almost half of those questioned said they have installed security lights, and one in 10 has a guard dog.
The survey, in which 4,000 people were quizzed, also dis­covered that five per cent of burglary victims were so traumatised that they moved house shortly afterwards.

In 2005 MPs killed off a bid to give householders more powers to protect themselves against burglars.

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