Sending gifts or presents in the mail is common year-round, but the increased number of parcels sent in the run-up to Christmas makes the chance of yours going missing much higher. The festive season is a stressful time of year without having the additional worry of whether your package will arrive safely.

Parcel theft is a growing issue in the UK. In the US there is a huge problem with ‘porch pirates’ following delivery trucks around neighbourhoods and stealing parcels, and now criminals in the UK are increasingly recognising the same lucrative opportunity.

Homeowners the length and breadth of Britain are reporting an unprecedented outbreak of ‘porch piracy’ — a term given to the theft of deliveries left outside homes.

Porch piracy might not be new, but with online shopping booming due to the approach of the festive season. About one billion parcels will be delivered in the next month leading up to Christmas, so there are definitely rich pickings to be had for thieves.

Whilst criminals are to blame for their actions, delivery companies make it worse by setting ridiculously high delivery quotas for their drivers.

Courier companies need to reduce the pressure on drivers and make it easier for customers to tell them what they want to happen with their parcels if they’re out.

Please Note: When a parcel is not received, you should contact the retailer from whom the missing item was purchased, not the courier company that delivered it.

Your contract is with the retailer, so they must resolve any issues that arise

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 it is the retailer’s legal responsibility to make sure the item is safely delivered to you.’

The law states that the goods remain at the retailer's risk until they come into the physical possession of the consumer, or a person identified by the consumer to take possession of the goods.

Once notified of the loss they should then either issue a refund or rearrange for the goods to be delivered.

However, this does not apply if you’ve provided specific instructions for the item to be left, for example, in the shed, behind a rubbish bin, or another designated safe place.

If it is then stolen, it is you, the homeowner who is responsible.

This is because the retailer and courier have simply followed your instructions.

While such a theft could be reported to the police, unless a thief broke into your house to steal the parcel, unfortunately, home insurers are unlikely to pay out on such a claim.

As for those behind the porch piracy pandemic, footage captured on home CCTV systems suggests many are still opportunistic crimes perpetrated by passers-by who spot a parcel and then steal it.

There are a lot of customers who are honest, but then there are the few dishonest ones who will claim not to have received a parcel when they actually did.

People don’t help themselves though, they could quite easily go to a DIY shop and buy a secure box to put deliveries in.’

Also, there is a range high-tech range of gadgets on the market to choose from. These include devices such as the iParcelBox, which can be fixed to the house and connects to your wifi network, allowing you to open and close it remotely to receive multiple deliveries.

There is also a growing range of doorbell-mounted cameras such as the Amazon Ring Doorbell, which monitor anyone approaching your door and allow homeowners to speak remotely to delivery drivers.

In the end, it's insurers, retailers, and delivery companies that are covering the cost of a huge hidden economy. Ultimately consumers foot the bill for this criminal activity, as the cost will be factored into pricing decisions

There are also more hidden costs to consider, for instance, the loss of trust from residents and consumers who fear that their anticipated Christmas gift will be stolen away.