POLICE are to increase night patrols in Wilford and Clifton after a series of burglaries.

In March there were three house burglaries, in April there were two raids on homes and three shed break-ins. Already this month there have been two house burglaries and three shed break-ins.

PC Nigel Brown, beat manager for Wilford and Silverdale, said some of the burglaries had involved car key theft.

He warned residents to be vigilant and take care to put their car keys out of sight.

"We are creatures of habit and we come in and put our car keys down somewhere like the kitchen or front room," said PC Brown.

"People need to be more vigilant and put their keys away.

"We will be increasing patrols and giving people crime prevention advice.

"For example, people may forget to lock their sheds or leave tools lying around which can be stolen and are ideal for thieves looking to break into other properties."

PC Brown discussed the increase in burglaries at the latest meeting of Wilford Community Group.

He said police would increase patrols at night and also warned residents to take extra care to secure doors and windows – even when they are at home.

He said police were clamping down on burglaries and three people had been arrested in connection with the break-ins. They are now on police bail.

David Boulton, secretary of Wilford Community Group, said the last time there was a spate of burglaries in the area was about 18 months ago.

"Crime has been coming down in the past couple of years in Wilford," he said.

"It just seems to be one of those things in Wilford at the moment.

"The main thing is to try to get residents to be aware of what's happening."