Four of the five South East counties have seen an increase in the number of home burglaries in the past year, with Wexford being the only one to see a decrease.
That's according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Waterford has seen the highest increase in burglaries, with a jump of 14% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Tipperary had an increase of 6%, as did Carlow and Kilkenny, which were bunched together for the statistics.
Wexford - the outlier of the group- saw a decrease of 12% in the number of burglaries in the county.
It is one of just six counties nationwide that saw a decrease.
Nationally there was an increase of 10%.
This is the first time the figures on home burglaries have gone up in five years.
Throughout 2022, there were almost 9,500 home break-ins.
Statistics show that between January and June of last year, 1 in 10 homes across the country had been broken into.
According to the PhoneWatch website, 72% of Irish people are concerned about their homes being broken into, while just over a third feel more worried when they are alone.
Recent South East break-ins
The news of an increase in burglaries comes as just last week a number of houses in Carlow were burgled.
A house in Castle Hill had a television and tablet stolen from it.
Someone entered the building by smashing a window at the rear of the house.
It happened sometime between 6.30 pm on Monday and 12.30 pm on Tuesday.
Another incident in Carlow saw four men in a scut truck steal an underground cable from a house.
It was taken at around 11.30 pm on Wednesday night.
Gardaí are also investigating a report of a burglary at a house in Straboe on Tuesday evening.
The suspect was disturbed by the homeowner and fled in a grey/silver car.
Anyone with any information on the above incidents is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station.
Meanwhile, in Tipperary, a house was broken into last month.
The perpetrator took thousands in cash and drowned two dogs that lived there.
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