Burglars strike three times in one night in south Leamington

All three burglaries took place overnight Sunday into Monday in St Mary’s Road and St Ann’s Close, Whitnash and Clapham Terrace in Old Town.

In the first theft in St Mary’s Road criminals gained entry and stole two mobile phones, a quantity of money and two credit cards.

Police believe they may have gained entry by putting something through the cat flap enabling them to reach keys to use to enter the house.

An attempt was made to use one of the credit cards at a cash dispenser in the early hours of Monday morning, but this was not successful.

In the second burglary in St Ann’s Close the thieves gained entry to the property during the night and again stole cash and credit cards. An unsuccessful attempt was made to use one of the stolen cards at a different cash machine.

In the third incident in Clapham Terrace the burglar gained entry to the property at around 5.15am, but was disturbed by the occupant who gave chase but lost sight of the offender in a nearby alleyway.

Nothing was stolen.

Police are examining similarities in each of the three burglaries to see if they are linked.

They would like to hear from anyone who saw anything unusual near the locations where the burglaries took place in the early hours of Monday morning.

Anyone with any information should contact the local investigation team at Leamington police station on 451111 or can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Police also remind householders to make sure they always close and lock all doors, patio doors and downstairs windows before they go to bed and to remove the keys from locks, placing them out of sight of anyone looking through the window.

Anyone with a cat flap in their property should take extra care to ensure that there is nothing within distance of the opening which can be removed by a burglar using equipment to grab it through the opening.

Anyone with patio doors is advised to check the security of their doors and locks. Speak to your local Safer Neighbourhood Team on 415000 if you need advice on security.

People should also make sure that property such as wallets and purses or handbags or other valuable items are not left out on view at any time, and especially when they go to bed.