He gave four pieces of advice that he thinks should hold homeowners in good stead
Gary Eckersall has worked as a locksmith for years and has been called to all sorts of unusual situations(Image: Supplied/Gary Eckersall)
A locksmith who has been doing the job for more than six decades has revealed the four things homeowners must never do. In a career that has seen him called out to all manor of different issues, including having to free a man who was handcuffed to his own bed to a woman trapped in her porch naked at night, Gary Eckersall said that there are some simple mistakes that he has seen all too often that can easily be avoided.
After having his interest piqued as a child, as a teenager he became an apprentice locksmith working at the now shut HS Gillespie’s on Eberle Street. Since then, he has gone on to run his own company, with J Beattie and Son Locksmiths Ltd on Marlborough Place as well as J G Eckersall in Widnes.
After gaining years of experience he has now revealed that there are some mistakes that happen all too frequently.
Gary and his wife Linda Eckersall(Image: Supplied/Gary Eckersall)
Always change the locks
When it comes to buying a new home, he said that all too often people forget to change the locks.
He said: “If people buy a new home, always, always change the locks once you move in, because you don’t know who’s got keys for the old locks. Some people may keep keys for 12 months, and come back and rob the house, so always change the locks.”
Never leave windows open
As the temperature has rocketed past 30 degrees in recent days many people will be tempted to leave their windows open, but Gary has warned against it.
He said: “Don’t leave any windows open. In the summer nights and hot warm nights, never leave windows open of a night or a day. If you’re out, or of a night when you go to bed, never leave any windows open even if it’s too hot.”
He added: “Although it might be a small window to you, some villains have youngsters or little people, who can climb through small windows and then open the front door for them. That happens an awful lot.”
Never leave the keys on the inside of the door
It’s a mistake most of us will have made at some point, but Gary said that sometimes it can have hugely costly consequences.
He said: “Never leave your keys on the inside of a door, some locks can be opened from outside if the keys are on the inside.”
He added: “If you leave the key in the lock, and then you go out the front door, if you’re unfortunate to have a break-in say, through a window, well the villains can then open your back door with the key and carry the big stuff out.”
Be careful what key safe you use
Gary said that all too frequently he has seen people pay the price for cutting costs when it comes to their key safes.
He said: “If you get the key safe fitted, make sure it is a good quality one. You can buy some cheap, junky things which are not that difficult to force open or smash open. Buy a, you know, like what they call a Sold Secure [an independent security product certification agency] approved product, the one where it takes a tremendous amount to break into it.”