THAMES Valley business leaders are alarmed after a major survey revealed that 70 per cent of firms in the area have been hit by crime.

The shock figure was released this month after 250 companies from across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire were randomly handed a questionnaire by the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Of the 55 firms that responded, 70 per cent said they had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months and 43 per cent said they had been a victim of crime more than once.

Most of the crimes reported in the survey fell into the categories of burglary (36 per cent), attempted burglary (29 per cent) and structural damage (22 per cent).

Theft by employees was found to have affected 14 per cent of firms and internet crime a further nine per cent.

Most of the firms added that in many cases the cost to the company of incidents of crime ran into tens of thousands of pounds.

Jean Charmak, president of the chamber, said: "The number we questioned in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire is small, but the results are very similar to the figures for the south east and for the country as a whole.

"They paint an alarming picture of business crime and confirm again why so many of our members are telling us that tackling crime and the fear of crime must be a high priority."

The national survey, organised by British Chambers of Commerce, covered 3,000 firms of all sizes. The results showed that crime against businesses costs the UK economy £18.8bn per year.

The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest accredited chambers in the UK.