STEALTHY burglars are reaching through letter boxes and stealing keys from locks and tables while residents sleep.
Over the past few weeks dozens of sets of house and car keys have been stolen from homes across Upton, Hoole, Blacon and Vicars Cross during a spate of late night burglaries.
Police are now warning residents to hide away their keys, after a burglar targeted a home in Upton Lane using the homeowner’s own keys to break-in while they were asleep.
Between midnight and 7am on Wednesday, October 24, the thieves broke into the house, threading a hook through the letterbox to grab hold of the keys, before using them to enter the house and steal laptops, cash and a mobile phone.
The resident’s car was also stolen, but was later recovered by Police after it was abandoned in Blackburn in Lancashire.
Police are now asking residents to make sure their keys are not left in the locks, reachable or even visible from the door to stop burglars targeting homes across the area.
PC Mark Evans of Chester Outer Policing team, said: “I would urge residents to bear in mind where they leave their keys when staying at their homes.
“If possible please put the keys in a drawer or on a hanger where they cannot be seen.”
