A SECURITY warning has been issued by police after the arrival of good spring weather brought with it a spate of ‘walk-in’ burglaries or attempted burglaries.

Cleveland Police said it has received a number of such reports in the Dormanstown area, near Redcar, over the last few weeks.

Crime Prevention Officer Gerry McBride said: "A walk-in burglary is one where the burglar has simply gotten into your home through an insecure door or window.

"A staggering one in three burglaries, or 33 per cent, are via this method. It is important that our doors and windows secure to deter thieves.

"We often see a spike in walk in burglaries as the weather improves, so if you are out in the back garden, make sure that you are locked up at the front.

"If you can’t see the door, lock it!

"Get into the habit of locking your doors and removing keys and keeping these keys in a safe but handy place, should you need to grab them in a hurry."

Cleveland Police issued the following advice:

•Lock your doors and windows as soon as you get in or are outside. Don’t leave keys in the door, or by the door keep them out of sight in a safe place.

•Secure windows

•Many burglar alarms have a ‘chime’ feature. If there is an alarm contact on your front door, this can generally be programmed to make a sound when the door is opened, however, don’t rely on this method alone, because you may not always hear the sound it makes.

•Set your alarm overnight Burglaries can have a devastating effect on the victim. Follow these simple steps to keep you, your family and belongings safe.

The force offers crime prevention advice via its website cleveland.police.uk or you can call the crime prevention team on 101.

To report any information about a crime contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555111.