Vehicle crime has hit unprecedented levels in Greater London, and SE regions such as Lewisham and Greenwich have seen the largest rises.

The Met Police dealt with 98,177 incidents of vehicle theft, theft of items from vehicles, interference and aggravated vehicle driving in London in 2019, up a worrying 55% last five years.

But local statistics are even worse, with south east London regions experiencing a 66.25% average rise in vehicle crime.

Lewisham and Greenwich saw the second and third largest rises in crime levels over the last five years at 99% and 80% respectively.

Bromley's vehicle crime levels increased by 49% over the last five years, and whilst Bexley only saw a 37% increase, the area has been hit by a recent 52% surge in 2019.

This Is Local London:

These figures have been steadily increasing over the last five years, and the statistics for December, one of the busiest and most financially straining periods of the year, are worse.

Monthly incidents in December are up 61% over the last five years in London, with every district experiencing a significant increase.

The findings come from Met Police data analysed by click4reg.co.uk, and present a worrying picutre of vehicle crime across the capital.

Aggravated vehicle taking, which normally involves taking the vehicle without permission and dangerous driving that results in damage or injury, has also become 'a growing problem'.

There were 389 reports of these incidents in December 2010, compared to 930 reported in the same month in 2018.

Alongside the figures, CarTakeBack offered some advice to help you make your vehicle safer.

They advise keeping your car locked at all times (an obvious one), parking in safe and less secluded areas, being aware of carjackers, and leaving no valuable items on display.

The company also suggests installing a tracking advice, double checking remote working and installing a tracking advice.

You can read the full report here, or find our about the company that carried out the research here.