The dilemma facing Mrs Maxine Hayman over insurance cover for her home at Fairweather Green is yet another indictment of our lawless times. The scale of the hike in her insurance premium, from £180 to £650, is alarming - even more so as the insurance cover on offer at that high price is conditional upon Mrs Hayman taking extreme security measures to protect the house.

It is surely not realistic to expect her to turn her home virtually into a fortress by having what she describes as "prison bars" cemented into place across her back door in addition to the other protective work she has already had done. She says that after consulting the fire service she has refused to have this job carried out because it could turn the house into a death trap.

Up to a point, it is possible to understand the insurance company's point of view. Mrs Hayman has suffered three burglaries since last summer. The insurer does not want to keep paying out.

But the issue goes much wider than the growing reluctance of the insurance industry to take on anything other than safe bets. Mrs Hayman is a victim of the decline of some parts of Bradford into lawlessness, which many would blame on inadequate policing.

Many people in other areas of the district will have similar tales to tell. They too will stare in disbelief and despair at a renewal quote pushed up by failure to control the level of burglaries. Until that problem is solved, it is unlikely that the insurance companies will change their attitude.