Some €69 million worth of goods was stolen from Irish homes in the 12 months between June 2005 and June 2006, according to a survey released today.
That figure was an increase of 17 per cent on last year, and the actual number of burglaries also increased by 26 per cent, according to the latest Eircom Phonewatch Burglary Report.
Dublin continues to top Ireland's burglary table with a 12 per cent increase in burglaries, representing 35 per cent of all burglaries nationwide, the report found.
Seven in ten burglaries take place while people are at home, a 58 per cent increase from the 2004 figures, and the most likely time of the day to be burgled was between 12am and 4am.
The report found an average of €3,924 was taken from each home burgled.
The survey also found that Thursday is the most popular day of the week for burglaries, with Sunday being the least popular.
Semi-detached homes are the most common type of properties to be burgled (32 per cent) with apartments the least likely.
The most recently published Garda Annual Report (2005) states that 17,958 residential burglaries took place in Ireland between January 1st, 2005, and December 31st, 2005.