Police warning after break-ins

​People have been warned to be cautious after a noticeable rise in thefts from garages and sheds in Bath over the past seven months.

Since the beginning of August last year the police have reported 33 shed and 21 garage break-ins in certain parts of the city.

The worst affected areas have been Oldfield Park, Southdown, Whiteway and Twerton.

Almost all the offences have happened at night and it is usually tools and gardening equipment which has been stolen, although there has been a recently increase in mountain bikes thefts.

Officers believe this could mean thieves are watching properties during the day and looking out for valuable items.

Sergeant Geoff Cannon, from the community safety team, urged people to make sure their sheds and garages were safely locked up.

He said: “We all tend to think about our house security, but do we spend enough time looking at how vulnerable our sheds and garages can be?

“And yet some quite valuable equipment worth hundreds of pounds are left in sheds and garages overnight every day with minimum or no security.

“Taking a bit of time and effort as suggested above may save a lot of trouble and disruption in the long run.”

People are being advised to security mark their property using ultra-violet pens or etching tools and fit strong padlocks and grilles to sheds and garages to keep them secure.

Sgt Cannon added: “Anything which makes it harder for a burglar to break in means it will take a criminal more time – and the more time someone takes, the more they risk being caught.”

If anyone has useful information about garage or shed break-ins they are asked to contact Bath police on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or through www.crimestoppers-uk.org.