GLASGOW has been named the worst city in the UK for fire attacks on business premises.

The shock statistic comes as the number of crime-related insurance claims made by firms in the past year rocketed.

A report by insurance firm Axa revealed the number of claims rose by a fifth in the final quarter of 2006.

Claims for violent and forced entries into business buildings or offices more than doubled, while fire attacks increased by 20%.

While Glasgow was worst in the UK for fire attacks against business premises, Edinburgh was found to be the worst for malicious damage.

Overall, Leicester topped the city business crime league, according to Axa.

It was followed by Cardiff, with Nottingham, Birmingham, Derby, Liverpool and Manchester next.

More than two-thirds of all crime-related business insurance claims in Leicester involved theft.

Axa urged businesses to conduct a review of their security arrangements, particularly because of the rise in break-ins.

And Neil Mercer, of Axa, said public awareness of business crime remained low despite the millions of pounds involved.