'I'm a locksmith, here's a simple mistake burglars love you to make'

A locksmith has shared a simple mistake that burglars love homeowners to make and can see from a mile away. Jonny, who works for Kingdom Keys in Cheshire, shared a video on his TikTok account @jonnykingdomkeys, to warn homeowners of a easy way burgalars can gain entry through your front or back door.

After visiting a customer who requested their lock to be swapped from a dual key to a thumb turn, Jonny found that the lock was actually sticking out of the door by 10 millimeters. The professional locksmith said that "burglars love this mistake... make sure it's not on your door."

In the video, he said: "Turned up on a job today and my customer wanted to swap their lock from a dual key to the thumb turn.

"[It] makes life easier when you're at home and don't want to hunt for your keys every time.

"Here's what I noticed, the front door lock was sticking out about 10 millimeters, that's way too far. And it makes it really easy to snap.

"Anyone can buy a lock snapping tool online or even use a pair of grips."

Jonny said that the lock sitting this far out in the door is "really vulnerable and a major security risk".

He said: "Your cylinder should always sit flush with the handle, and that's the key to preventing this kind of break in.

"Now here is the difference between a standard lock and an anti snap lock.

"If you look at the gold one it is smooth, no lines, but on the new silver one you see a line across the middle.

"That's a sacrificial point, if somebody tries to snap it, it breaks off there and keeps your door secure.

"The new lock is anti snap, anti pick, anti pull and ani drill.

"A simple upgrade that makes a big notice to your home security."

People took to the comments to share their joy at a locksmith sharing this information.

One user said: "I'm not local but as someone who had a house breaker dad I'm glad to see this being done. I know everything he used to do - he told me before he died so I'm really happy to see a company able to help people."

Another person said: "That's a really good idea, I work for a housing group so we have to break into property's all the time and understand what your saying, I'd put these on my own house."