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Latest research has shown that 15 per cent of Britons do not trust their neighbours at all, despite the fact that most neighbourhood watch schemes can help reduce crime in the area and the need to make possibly preventable home insurance claims.

Cornhill Direct Home Insurance polled around 3,000 people, of which just over a third said they would ideally like to live in a more isolated area.

Furthermore, almost a fifth said they would actively try and avoid contact with their neighbours and nine out of ten said it was no longer "important" to be friendly with their neighbours.

A spokesman for Cornhill Direct Home Insurance remarked: "Having neighbours you know and trust is important. A real sense of community helps to reduce crime and vandalism and makes for a much safer place to live."

"Getting to know your neighbours and doing things for them like taking in their post when they are away definitely helps reduce crime," he added.

Reducing crime in an area by forming neighbourhood watch schemes and additional security measures could be beneficial to home insurance premium costs.

The National Neighbourhood Watch Association looks to broaden the appeal of Neighbourhood Watch schemes to all areas of a community. This includes raising the awareness of the watch movement, starting project work and providing help and support in sometimes problematic areas such as ethnic and diverse communities, high crime areas and young people.

The National Neighbourhood Watch Association tries to represent the interests of the movement nationally to government and other agencies. National Neighbourhood Watch Association strives to promote, help, support, advise and develop the watch scheme, and to improve the communications and co-ordination on a national scale by ensuring consistent and effective structures are put in place. The National Neighbourhood Watch Association provides information and training for all; and promotes the exchange of good ideas and best practice.