FORTY-three per cent of small businesses in Yorkshire are in fear of their premises being burgled and believe that only more police patrols can combat mounting crime in the region.

That is the conclusion of the latest Small Business Watch survey, commissioned by Yellow Pages which polled 1,500 businesses nationally.

The survey also shows that a further 38 per cent of Yorkshire business people fear crime against their property, with criminal damage and vandalism cited as major causes for concern.

More than a third of those questioned - 37 per cent - had been victims of these offences in the last three years, with 18 per cent of them burgled in that time.

As many as one in four companies in Yorkshire - 27 per cent - were concerned about their car being broken into and 30 per cent feared their vehicles would be stolen at work.

The perception of 38 per cent of Yorkshire's business people is that crime has worsened over the past three years with the result that more than two third of those questioned had taken steps to protect their property from crime, with 68 per cent fitting alarm systems, 63 per cent fitting security lighting, 46 per cent fixing security grills on windows and 27 per cent using closed circuit television.

A massive 85 per cent called for more police patrols outside working hours and 30 per cent believed that extra police manpower should be funded by contributions from local firms. As many as 59 per cent said that police were not doing enough to protect them.

The cost of crime proved to be a significant hidden burden on business, with 45 per cent spending an extra £2,500 a year on additional insurance cover, and 46 per cent spending the same amount on extra security. Six per cent were spending between £5,000 and £10,000.