A BUTCHER'S, a football club and a dog club were all been broken into by burglars in the Redcar area.

At least least three houses and sheds were also burgled in the same period and police say they are not ruling out a link between any of the thefts in which the criminals routinely caused substantial damage to the properties.

The first was at the Vic Thomas Family Butchers on Farndale Square in Redcar which was raided overnight between 4pm on Sunday, September 27 and 6am on Monday, September 28. Thieves took a till containing cash.

Then, sometime between 7.30pm on Wednesday, September 30 and 5.10pm on Thursday, October 1, thieves broke into Dormanstown Junior Football Club on Armitage Road in Redcar. The club was ransacked and a till and a safe were stolen.

On Thursday, October 1 thieves broken into Wilton Dog Club some time between 11.30am and 4.30pm and stole a tin containing a small amount of cash.

There have also been a number of breaks to houses and sheds in the area that officers believe may be linked to these breaks.

Thieves broke into a house on Sandsend Road in Dormanstown on Sunday, September 27 between 9.50pm and 10.10pm, stealing a black Carrera racing bike with yellow handle grips.

Then thieves struck in Ramsay Road in Dormanstown next evening, Monday, September 28 between 9.40pm and 10.10pm. They broke into a shed and stole a Stihl petrol strimmer.

On Friday, October 2, the occupants of a house in Staintondale Avenue, Dormanstown, heard thieves trying to break into their home by smashing the patio doors. The householder disturbed the thieves, but they made off.

A police spokeswoman said: "In each of the breaks, the thieves have left substantial damage in gaining entry to the premises. We are not ruling out any links between these incidents and would ask anyone with information to contact PC Phil Pargeter or PC Stewart Shepherd on 101."