Wexford is the county with the most burglaries by head of population, according to recorded crime figures for the first six months of the year.

According to the figures published in today's Irish Independent, there are 256 burglaries per 100,000 people in Wexford - with Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Wicklow and Laois having the next highest rates.

Wexford has more than eight times the amount of burglaries than Monaghan, which is the lowest ranking county.

The figures suggest that counties in the Dublin commuter belt and ones connected to high quality road networks are the worst hit by robberies, with gangs using motorways for speedy getaways.

Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan have the lowest recorded burglary rates - all with less than 50 burglaries per 100,000 people.

Cork also ranks quite low, with just 87 burglaries per 100,000.

That compares with 249 per 100,000 for Dublin, and 241 in Kildare.

The statistics - provided to the CSO by An Garda Síochána - show a total of 7,876 recorded burglaries, or around 330 per week.