Original LockScout data
Locksmith research
The people, emergencies and online choices behind locksmith work.
National benchmark · January—June 2026
The State of UK Locksmith Services
What 51,426 captured reviews reveal about why Britain called, who was waiting, how long help took and where price information appeared.
- 2.2× vehicle-key stories compared with lockout stories
- 98.1% of captured ratings were five-star
- Every UK region explored using the locksmith’s cleaned provider base
51,426captured reviews analysed for the first half of 2026
Interactive data story · London 2026
London, Locked Out
What 6,256 public reviews reveal about the strangers London calls when it cannot get home—from children and late-night lockouts to broken car keys, unexpected objects and the five-star paradox.
- 20 minutes median among reviews that stated an arrival time
- About 19 in 20 captured reviews were five-star
- Interactive crisis, arrival-time, object and rating experiences
6,256small London stories about access, stress, help and relief
Companion study · London 2026
The London locksmith search lottery
We ran five locksmith searches in every London local authority and measured how changing the wording changed the businesses people were shown.
- 165 controlled searches
- 18 of 30 areas had zero generic-vs-near-me overlap
- 265 commercial identities reached a top-five result
0median top-five listings were shared by the generic and “near me” searches