Almost three-quarters of people will avoid posting about their upcoming holidays on social media for fear of being burgled.

However, according to an AA Home Insurance poll, 65% of holidaymakers do not activate their alarm when they are away from home.

One in five people said that they wouldn't rule out bragging about their holiday online, despite the danger of criminals scanning social media to plan break-ins.

Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs, said: “The August weekend will see many of us travelling to locations both in Ireland and across the world for a final break before the schools return later this month. Given that you spend most of the year counting down the days until your holiday it’s understandable that people may want to share their plans with family and friends.

“Unfortunately, however, once you post this kind of information online you lose control over where it could end up and, without knowing it, you could very easily be advertising the fact that your home is empty for a significant period of time to the wrong people.”

“When it comes to protecting your home, the less information potential intruders have about your habits or when the property is likely to be unattended the better."

"Similarly, if you are going away this weekend, it’s a great idea to do a review of how secure your home is before you leave or ask someone to keep an occasional eye on the property while you are away,” he said.

The AA conducted the survey with 5,276 people in May.

Digital Desk