Burglary gangs have returned to the motorway network with the rate of break-ins doubling in some parts of the country.
It has been revealed that Dublin and counties connected to the capital by motorway have the highest burglary rates in the country.
An analysis of the most recent crime figures shows Louth had the fourth-highest burglary rate in the country at 234 per 100,000 people.
Dublin had the highest rate of burglary-related crimes, followed by Limerick and Westmeath.
In the 12 months to March of this year, Meath ranked in ninth place at a rate of 190 burglaries per 100,000 of the population.
The lowest burglary rate in that time period was in Donegal, which had 80 such reported crimes per 100,000 people, followed by Mayo with 97.
