THEFTS on the train service that serves Swindon have dropped in the past year.

British Transport Police recorded 560 thefts from passengers travelling on the Great Western Railway last year, according to new figures out today.

The figures show that thefts on the routes from London to Swindon and beyond were the second highest after London last year but were down on the 2017 total of 671. In 2016 there were 666 thefts from passengers on the GWR rail routes and in 2015 there were 522.

Thefts on UK railways rose by 11.3 per cent last year with those from Transport for London passengers eight times higher than any other operator.

A GWR spokesman said: “We are pleased to see that the work we are doing with the British Transport Police has seen a 16.5 per cent reduction in crime, bucking the national trend which has seen an 11.3 per cent increase across the rail network.

“The risk of theft on the GWR is low – with an average one theft every two million journeys, but we encourage customers to be vigilant.

“As we continue to roll out our new fleet of Intercity Express Trains, we are working hard to ensure we maintain a safe and secure environment for our customers by providing more luggage space in the overhead rack and under seats, an at seat buffet service and CCTV throughout the train.”

The report reveals that thefts on the Transport for London rail network accounted for 45.8 per cent of all nationwide incidents in 2018.

The BTP figures, which were obtained by research from insurance provider ProtectYourBubble.com, show there were more than 12 thefts every day somewhere on the London Underground last year.

Data obtained from the BTP under Freedom of Information reveals thefts on TFL’s rail network have surged by more than 55 per cent since 2015.

Thefts on the London Underground were up by 27 per cent between 2017 and 2018, rising from 3,500 to 4,448 - that’s more than 12 thefts every day (86 thefts every week) somewhere on the tube network last year.

There were also eight times more thefts recorded on the London Underground last year than any other rail network.

James Brown, director of ProtectYourBubble.com, said: “These figures show that it is more important than ever to safeguard your valuables while travelling on the rail network.

“The increasing value of smartphones, as well as an ever-growing number of tourists visiting the capital, means London’s busy rail and tube networks offer rich pickings for opportunistic criminals.

“We all need to keep an eye on our possessions, especially at peak times when many opportunistic thieves tend to strike.”