PARENTS are being warned to keep a close eye on their prams and to check if they’re covered by insurance as the number of buggies being stolen is on the rise.
Nearly 3,000 push chairs have been officially recorded as stolen in the past four years, according to a freedom of information (FOI) request submitted to police forces in England, Northern and Ireland Wales.
But Confused.com, which made the information requests, reckons the numbers could be as high as millions as not everyone reports thefts, some reported thefts aren’t recorded in detail, and other police forces simply didn’t respond.
Of those that did, nearly half (48 per cent) said pram thefts have been either increased or remained the same between 2017 and 2018.
On top of this, where prams are stolen it’s usually (nine times out of ten) alongside other high-value items such as mobile phones, handbags, wallets and tablets.
The comparison website says this could now be fuelling a “buggy black market” due to parents’ willingness to buy second-hand prams – and the high price of brand new buggies.
Confused says the average cost of the buggies stolen was a whopping £487.
Susie Lindey*, 35, from Cardiff was forced to buy a secondhand pram when her £900 Cosatto push chair was stolen from outside her home.
The young mum says she was left feeling “violated” after the theft.
“My husband took the buggy out of the back of the car and left it on the drive,” said Susie.
“My mum was coming to pick it up in 10 minutes and we live on a quiet road and have our own drive.
“But when he came back outside it had gone, and we haven’t seen it since.
“I feel violated because it was taken from our home and I thought we lived in a very safe road and I didn’t think I had to worry about this.”
IF your pram is stolen, check if it's covered by your contents insurance.
Comparison site Confused.com says all insurers should cover prams stolen from inside the home.
But if they are stolen from your driveway or elsewhere you’ll need insurance that covers goods outside of the home.
If you’ve got an expensive buggy, you may even have to list this separately on your contents insurance to ensure it’s covered.
The threshold for this varies by insurer but Confused says all contents policies offered through its website require items of over £1,000 to be declared.
Of course, before you make a claim you should check how much the excess is – this is the amount you pay before you can make a claim and in come cases it could be higher than the value of the pram.
Luckily for Susie, after posting about the theft on a local Facebook group for mums one kindly let her borrow an old pram for free, giving her time to find a replacement.
Susie, who works full time in insurance and has a one-year-old and three-year-old daughter, said: “With a one-year-old you need a buggy.
“It would have had a big impact if I hadn’t been able to borrow one as I would have had to go out and buy a new one very quickly, which probably would have cost a fortune.
“Luckily I had the time to research prices and ended-up buying a secondhand one for £15.”
If your pram it may be covered by your insurance but check what your excess is before making a claim – see the box above for more information.
From tax-free childcare to free nursery hours, we reveal the childcare help worth £5,000-plus parents may be missing out on.
We’ve also rounded-up 12 freebies and discounts parents can get on nappies, food, wipes and baby equipment.
But despite this parents are being pushed into thousands of pounds of debt due to sky high childcare costs.
*Name has been changed.
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