SOUTH Wales Police are warning home owners not to leave themselves vulnerable to burglary by leaving their garden sheds, outbuildings and garages open during the Spring.

As the warmer weather approaches, officers from Bridgend County and the Vale of Glamorgan would like local residents to help prevent their property becoming more accessible and attractive to thieves. Garden sheds, outbuildings and garages are a popular target as they are likely to contain expensive items such as lawn mowers, hedge cutters, pedal bikes and power tools.

The local neighbourhood policing teams aim to raise awareness of the importance of revisiting and strengthening the security of your home and outbuildings to help prevent residents from being a victim of burglary. Officers are advising that residents make access to areas where sheds and outbuildings are located as difficult as possible and make sure that all side and rear gates are closed and padlocked with a good quality lock.

Detective inspector Sue Sidford said: “Criminals are often opportunists who are looking for easy targets. It only takes seconds for a burglar to strike but by making it more difficult for them to get in they are less likely to hang around and get caught.

“Residents can always make their homes a lot safer and we are asking the public to remain safety conscious by locking doors and windows and make it as difficult as possible for thieves. Remember it isn’t enough just to pull the door closed”.

DI Sidford added: “If you are in the back garden, lock up the front of the house, including upstairs windows. Use window locks and door chains where necessary and secure outbuildings when unattended.

“We also rely on people being aware of what is happening in their local areas and one important thing that we are asking people to do is to report suspicious activity straight away. If you think that something is out of place, the chances are it is. Any information that you may have may seem small to you but it might be the piece of intelligence that completes the picture for officers."

If you have any information about suspicious activity in your area, or know or suspect someone of being involved in crime, please call South Wales Police on 101. If you don’t want to speak to the police you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.