HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to be on their guard following a series of burglaries.

Gardening equipment has been stolen in a number of break-ins at sheds in the Haswell area of County Durham in the past few weeks.

In the early hours of Sunday, a significant amount of stolen property was found abandoned by the side of the road in the village.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who saw two youths, said to have been on mountain bike and acting suspiciously, at about 1.30am.

Detective sergeant Graeme Chisholm reminded residents that thefts from sheds tend to be a seasonal problem and urged householders to improve the security.

Anyone with information on the recent spate of thefts is asked to ring police on 0845 6060 365.