Expert Advice

Right then, how the devil are you? I’m okay thanks for asking, touch wood. Nearly walked under a ladder earlier, but narrowly avoided that, thank goodness, and have dodged all the cracks in the pavement so far today. Almost had the nightmare of eating 13 biscuits, but realised in time and made it to a solid 14. Not that I’m superstitious at all… *crosses fingers*.

“Summer in the city where the air is still”, sang Aztec Camera on my radio the other day and I think we can learn a lot from those words, taken from the opening lines of Somewhere in My Heart. They really resonate with me on this May evening as I rush through the streets, being battered by the wind-driven rain, arrive home, turn the heating up and then realise I don’t live in an actual city. But apart from that, yes, those lyrics really resonate.

Distraction burglary is a form of burglary where a burglar goes to an occupied house and attempts to trick the occupant into allowing them into the property, or creates a convincing diversion so that an accomplice burglar can gain access.

Tilt and slide doors are a common fitting in the Doncaster area. If you have one of these doors and there is a problem with it, SF Locksmith specialise in the service and repair of tilt and slide doors in the Doncaser district.

Do not consider purchasing a new sliding patio door before receiving a free quote for a repair first. Your local double glazing installer will tell you that a repair is not possible, we will tell you different! And save you lots of cash.

When choosing a locksmith it’s really important to do your homework first. The locksmith you choose will be working on and protecting one of your most important assets and all of your belongings in it. It is therefore essential that you can trust them to do a good job.

But how do you know that the locksmith you use is credible and committed to delivering the best possible service? Here’s our guide on how to find a locksmith in Sheffield that you can trust.

When a door lock is faulty it can mean that the door may not open, close or lock securely. This is often a result of age, and general wear and tear but can also be due to vandalism or an attempted break in.

As well as being inconvenient, a faulty lock can pose a serious security threat. Two in three burglars will gain access to a property through a door, so even if you feel that the rest of your house is secure, your faulty lock needs attending to right away.

Lock snapping is a major problem in the Doncster area and is on the increase. It is the break-in method used in almost every burglary now committed in the Doncaster borough, this has been reported by the police and also something that we have noticed through the call outs that we attend after a burglary.

But what exactly is lock snapping and what can you do to prevent it?

Recently we’ve heard many people talking about their plans when returning back to work. But imagine coming back from a perfectly relaxing or stressful day at work to find that your home has been broken into. Unsurprisingly over 50% of break-ins take place when a property is unoccupied, so for many homeowners this scenario is all too familiar.

People accidentally locking themselves out of their house, car of even place of business happens a lot more often than you might think. If it’s ever happened to you then you’ll know how extremely stressful and worrying getting locked out can be.

Follow our 5 top tips for when you get locked out to ensure that you can get back into your home safely, in good time and without damaging anything or spending a fortune.

Often when a building is vacant the owner will be less concerned about the level of security on the property. Because if there are no tenants or belongings inside, then there’s not really much there to protect – right? Unfortunately this isn’t the case at all.

Read on to find out more about why securing a vacant property is absolutely essential and could potentially save you thousands of pounds and a lot of time and stress.

Having your property targeted by a burglar is a worrying prospect and it can be even more of a concern if it takes place at night, with yourself and your family in the house.

Often people will take the “if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it” attitude, but here at SF Locksmiths we know from experience that there are plenty of steps you can take to improve the security of your house at night and deter a burglar.

At SF Locksmiths Doncaster we try to emphasise how important your security at home is during this time .
Opportunistic thieves are on the prowl now in Doncaster as they tend to during the winter months and especially in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year when they know that homes are piling up with gifts purchased for our family and friends.

Lock snapping is rife in Doncaster at the moment. Especially Sprotbrough, Wheatley Hills and Bennethorpe. What is alarming though is that the thieves are returning to the properties to have another go. It’s not unheard of but they seem to be determined to steal the cars that they are looking for.

Hello, how are you? I hope you’re doing all you can to stay safe in these difficult and strange times. I’m not a health expert, so I won’t be giving any coronavirus advice out here – I’ll leave that to the experts –  but I’d urge everyone to follow the government’s advice about social distancing, and self-isolation for those who are able to work from home, as well as adding my thanks to all those NHS and care workers putting themselves at risk to look after us all.

Lock snapping in Doncaster is on the rise again. I have attended break-ins  in all parts of the borough in the last few weeks  and in most cases it is through the snapping of the locks on upvc and composite doors.

The barrel is made of brass and though this is great for longevity, it is not good for strength. What can you do?

There are various methods that you encounter as a Doncaster locksmith  where thieves try to get into homes.

A method that thieves use to gain access to a property is to use a blow torch to burn through upvc doors. It is an unusual method and only works where the door hasn’t a reinforced panel or does not have three star rated locks.

What is the best deterrent against thives? A good German Shepherd is a great start but the constant dog hairs can be a putoff.

Alarms still have their place and will make a thief think twice and I’ve found that if they break-in and an alarm fires then thieves leave empty handed.

Pressure can take its toll on the locks and mechanisms of uPVC doors, especially on those doors that get a lot of use. Repeated use results in friction and over time this can lead to the mechanism breaking down.