VICTIMS have fallen prey to 'sneak-in' burglaries in which a householder's car was taken from their drive - after the culprit reached through a cat flap for the keys.

Two such burglaries took place at houses in Tolladine Road, Worcester, one of which resulted in the a car being stolen from the drive.

The grey Hyundai i10 was taken at around 1.30am yesterday from one of the houses after it was entered via the back door.

It is believed someone got into the property by reaching through the cat flap to get to a key which had been left in the lock on the inside of the door.

Once inside, they stole a handbag containing the car keys and then left the house through the front door before stealing the vehicle from the driveway.

The second burglary took place just a day earlier on Sunday, April 7, between 9.30pm and 9.40pm after a house was entered via an unlocked back door.

A Samsung mobile phone and some tobacco were then stolen from the kitchen.

Detective Inspector Stuart Murphy from Worcester police station said: “In light of these recent burglaries, I would like to remind residents to review their home security and make sure that it is not easy for thieves to get into your house.

“Both of these burglaries happened while people were in at the time. These types of offences can be particularly unnerving, so I would urge people to make sure that doors are locked before going to bed and that keys are kept out of easy reach of letterboxes and cat flaps.

“I would also ask people to call us if they have noticed anyone hanging around Tolladine Road – acting suspiciously – in the last couple of days or have noticed a vehicle matching the description of the one which has been stolen turn up unexpectedly in their area.” Anyone with information can call Worcester police station on 0300 333 3000 quoting reference 26S 080413. Alternatively, people can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.