A SERIES of burglaries from properties along the B4084 between Pershore and Whittington has prompted police to give safety advice to residents.

Nine burglaries to houses were reported between December 4 and 9, mostly of small items such as jewellery, cash, mobile phones and laptops. The latest ones have been in Drakes Broughton and the Loughmill Road areas.

Most of the burglaries occurred between the hours of 5pm and 9pm, suggesting a time when people may be at work and a home in darkness showing no one was at home.

PC Sean Woods said police had already been handing out safety advice and calling at neighbouring properties asking people to be vigilant and ring 101 if they anything at all suspicious.

"We have been giving advice to people to perhaps keep a light on when they are out or invest in a timer switch that puts a light on and gives the impression the house is not empty to deter burglars," he said.

"We have also drafted in extra officers in to target the area and they are going round giving advice to home owners. It seems that the burglars are just targeting homes that appear empty and making off with small items so we are encouraging people to look at improving safety.

"We also want people to keep a look out for anything suspicious, such as a vehicle they are not familiar with and ring 101 straight away. We don't mind if it is a false alarm."