POLICE are warning car owners to be on the alert following a spate of “two-in-one” burglaries over the past fortnight.

There have been nine such raids - where houses are broken into to steal keys to vehicles - in the past two weeks across North Yorkshire.

Now officers are reminding owners to make sure they keep their keys in a secure place and mounting extra patrols, targeting areas where such raods have become an issue.

Detective Chief Inspector Keith Ruff said:"Although two-in-one burglaries are usually planned and tend to target high performance and valuable vehicles such as 4x4s, thieves often take advantage of an easy opportunity if they spot one.

"I advise homeowners to make life as difficult as possible for thieves.

For crime prevention advice visit northyorkshire.police.uk/crimeprevention