Burglars target homes in Accrington (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burglars target homes in Accrington

3:00pm Saturday 5th May 2012 in Hyndburn

DETERMINED burglars are targeting terraced houses while occupants are asleep.

A spate of burglaries in a small section of Accrington has seen thousands of pounds worth of laptops, televisions, mobile phones, games and consoles stolen from family homes.

Residents are being warned to remain vigilant after ten burglaries in the Peel and Barnfield areas of Accrington in the past two weeks.

Police are treating the incidents as linked, as they each feature terraced homes accessed by back alleys in the early hours of the morning.

The majority of the burglaries have taken place while the occupants slept, although some housholders have woken and disturbed the thieves by making a noise.

Police say very few of the break-ins are due to unlocked with doors and windows, and thieves are making a determined effort to break in.

The majority feature backdoors and windows being forced open and with beading being carefully removed to take away glass panes in others.

Accrington police said they were ‘flooding’ the area with patrols.

Sgt Stephanie Hurst is asking residents to be vigilant.

She said: “Peel and Barnfield is a maze of terraces and back alleys, so people need to be vigilant.

“Though the majority of these burglaries are taking place between 2-4am, we have found in the past that thieves check out potential targets in the day time.

“If people see any suspicious characters around, they can alert us. We are doing all we can to find these perpetrators, nevertheless we would ask Peel and Barnfield residents to keep their wits about them and look out for and report any suspicious activity.

“Also, thieves will also try a handle first and on some occasions doors and windows were left open. So please remember to keep your homes secure too.”

Any information regarding the burglaries or to report anything strange, phone the Police on 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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