Police have warned of a recent spike in keyless van thefts in Rossendale and other parts of East Lancashire.

Police are urging residents to keep their vehicles safe and to remove items of value in a bid to crack down on the thefts.

Ford Transit models are one of the main vehicles of concern in the rising number of keyless van thefts in the area.

According to officers, thieves are targeting the vehicles mainly overnight so residents are being urged to take precautions.

A spokesperson for the police said: “There are lots of additional ways you can help protect your vehicle from crime, including the traditional wheel and pedal locks, alarms, immobilisers and tracking systems that can be added to visually deter offenders in the first instance, or assist in later tracing and recovering the vehicles that are often displaying different registration plates after the theft.

“Anyone who notices any suspicious activity around these types of vehicles, particularly during the hours of darkness, please be a good neighbour and contact the police with any information you can provide on 101 or report online.

“Officers are actively looking to deter, disrupt and arrest the offenders involved in this type of offending and any information you can provide assists us in effectively directing our resources.”