Pushchair ‘black market’ worth £60 million

Sales of top-of-the-range buggies have risen by 40 per cent as parents compete to buy the latest, most sophisticated models. A high re-sale value makes these items a prime target for opportunist thieves.

This combined with an increase in the number of strollers ‘on the road' following the recent baby boom has meant there is now an abundance of valuable buggies for robbers to cash in on.

The study suggests that criminals are even stealing specific models, with the Bugaboo Bee Plus (worth £459), Silver Cross 3D (£250), Quinny Zapp (£150) and the Maclaren Techno XT (£196) among those sought after.

Thieves seize these unoccupied strollers most frequently from inside the home (22 per cent) or just outside the property (11 per cent), while car parks, cafés and restaurants are other buggy-theft hotspots.

But as the value of pushchairs increases, almost a quarter of parents (23 per cent) have been forced to buy second-hand buggies rather than new ones, mainly from online auction websites, or from friends and family. Saving money is a clear motive, considering the average parent purchases three buggies in their lifetime. Some serial buggy-buyers acquire as many as five or six.

Yet unknowingly these parents are fuelling the buggy black-market, with criminals easily able to sell pushchairs on popular auction sites - where they sell for as much as £599.

David Rochester, Head of Underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance comments: "It may seem surprising that thieves would stoop so low, yet it appears the increasing value of baby buggies has caused parents to become a target for thieves. We recommend all new parents make sure buggies are safely secured when stored in the home, and not left visible in porches or driveways where they can be easily stolen as they are on wheels, enabling a quick getaway."

Despite the high value of buggies, almost a fifth of parents (17 per cent) are unaware whether their pushchairs are covered under their insurance policy if stolen from inside the home, while a fifth (20 per cent) don't know if they're covered if the pushchair is stored outside.

Halifax Home Insurance covers buggies under home contents insurance to an unlimited value if taken from inside the home.  Buggies in garages and outbuildings are also covered up to £2000, and up to £500 if left outside the home but within the grounds of the property.  Optional additional personal belongings cover can be purchased to cover buggies in public places up to a limit of £1,500.