South Shropshire residents urged to tighten up home security

The reminder follows a number of domestic burglaries across the area where opportunist thieves have gained entry through unlocked doors or windows left open.

Police Constable Lisa Cox, based at Cleobury Mortimer, said: “In total, there have been about eight household burglaries during the past six weeks and two of them have been sneak-in types where the premises were insecure. The offenders gained entry through doors left open or unlocked.

“There is no pattern to the burglaries which appear to be opportunist. I want to remind people to take the basic security precautions of locking doors at night and keeping them secure during the daytime too, even if you are at home in the garden.

“It is also important to close ground floor windows at night to be on the safe side.”

She added: “During the summer months and when the weather is warm, it is easy to leave doors and windows open and insecure. Although we get relatively few domestic burglaries in the area, the more we can do to make our homes safe, the better.

“Opportunist thieves and burglars are on the lookout for easy pickings and if they see an open door or ground floor window, there will be a temptation to enter the premises to quickly snatch valuables such as handbags or mobile phones.”