HOUSEHOLDERS have been warned to lock up after six of the seven house burglaries reported in Middlesbrough on Thursday were found to be the result of doors and windows being left insecure.
Opportunist thieves, who in one case reached through a broken cat flap to release a door catch, got away with a range of items - from a car to electrical goods, mobile phones and cash.
A Cleveland Police spokesman said that repeated appeals to the public to ensure doors and windows are kept locked are not being heeded.
"About 60 per cent of the burglaries in Middlesbrough are by opportunist thieves who would be thwarted if people took simple precautions.
"Sadly it is only when people become a victim of such crime that they realise just what they should have done. We would again appeal to everyone to shut it and lock it."
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