PEOPLE living in Wychbold are being urged to make sure their homes are secure following a spate of burglaries in the village.

Police have issued the warning after four homes have been targeted since October 25, with three of those taking place within four days of each other. One of these incidents was an unsuccessful attempt.

A window was forced open at a house on Worcester Road and two laptops and a red Kodak digital camera were stolen between 7.30am and 5pm on Thursday, October 25.

Between 5.50pm and 7.30pm on Monday, November 5, a patio door was forced at a property in Chequers Lane and valuable items and irreplaceable jewellery was taken.

Another house in the same street was targeted between 5pm on November 5 and 9am the following day. An attempt was made to force open a rear door, but this was unsuccessful.

Then, a third house in Chequers Lane was broken into via a kitchen window that was forced open and a variety of jewellery and some cash was stolen between 8.50am and 11.15am on Thursday, November 8.

Detective Inspector Richard Rees of Worcester CID's proactive team, which investigates burglaries, said: "We are linking these offences, not least because it is unusual for a peaceful place like Wychbold to have this number of offences.

"I would like to appeal to residents for their help in stopping the series. If you see anyone behaving suspiciously or any suspicious vehicles in the area, please contact the police immediately.

"If you've had any unusual callers, particular cold callers, at your home, please let us know.

"Two of the offences occurred in the evening and another could have occurred in the late afternoon, which are getting darker now the clocks have gone back. Most burglaries are carried out by opportunistic thieves, so taking some basic measures will deter many."