A survey of 400 university students who have lived in student accommodation revealed that a whopping 65% have had their food nicked.

The most commonly stolen items were milk (45%) and bread (33%), with leftover pizza (18%) also proving irresistible to some.

Over half (52%) of the respondents said that food theft was one of the main causes of disputes among students.

In an attempt to deter thieves, 60% of students resorted to labelling their food with their names. Yet, 46% of students have still caught their flatmates red-handed.

Food theft ranked third in the list of concerns for those living in student accommodation, after messy conditions (48%) and loud roommates (43%).

On a positive note, the study found that living with friends (39%) and having personal space (35%) were among the best aspects of living in student accommodation.

The participants also shared their favourite takeaway in the research conducted by OnePoll, with pizza (46%) emerging as the top choice.

Reasons for ordering food delivery included great taste (45%), not having to do the dishes (40%), and having leftovers for the next day (30%).

In response to these findings, Domino's has designed a lockable box to keep leftover pizza safe, just in time for fresher's week.

The pizza chain is giving away these limited-edition safes, which fit perfectly in a fridge and keep pizza secure from hungry flatmates.

Melanie Howe, from Domino's, stated: "There's nothing worse than thinking you've got some tasty leftovers ready for the next day - only to be left fuming when someone has pinched them."

"For most people students, that's an all-too-common reality. [So] To make sure you don't become a victim to the same misfortune, we wanted to create the Slice Security safe which fits in fridges and keeps precious leftover pizza safe from greedy housemates."

The boxes are available to students or anyone else at risk of fridge thefts through their website.