Two burglaries on same night in same street in Bishop’s Stortford

Police are investigating two burglaries on the same night in the same street in Bishop’s Stortford.

Nothing was stolen in either incident, which happened in Larksway, on the Bishop’s Gate estate, on Monday night and Tuesday morning (Sept 23-24).

In the first, between 8pm and midnight on Monday, a burglar got into a house through unlocked sliding doors at the back.

They left footprints on the carpet leading from the back door to the lounge. There were also footprints in the back garden to the fence.

Then at 5.30am on Tuesday, CCTV captured a man entering a garden over a fence and trying the doors on a summerhouse and then the back patio.

It is not known if he managed to open the door as the camera cut out, but there was no damage to it or signs of forced entry, and no signs in the house that they got in.

The camera then picked up the man trying the door handle again before leaving the garden via the fence in the opposite direction to which he came.

If neighbours have any information about the crimes or captured relevant footage on their CCTV or doorbell camera, call police on 101, quoting crime numbers 41/79898/24 for the Monday night burglary and 41/79893/24 for the Tuesday morning one.Alternatively, give information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Police said: “Please be vigilant and do report any suspicious activity or behaviour in the area.”

TIPS TO PREVENT BURGLARY

• Check downstairs doors and windows are securely locked before you leave or go to bed
• Secure uPVC doors by lifting the handle and locking it to engage the security features
• Don’t leave keys, phones or other valuables on windowsills or any other visible place
• Lock rear gates, sheds and garages
• Keep tools and ladders locked away as they could be used to break into your home
• Use laminate glass where possible for any rear doors or windows. If this is not practicable, consider the use of security film over existing windows
• Use a “fake TV” or timer switches on lamps to give the impression someone is at home
• Consider using a doorbell camera, interior camera or a monitored burglar alarm
• Consider adding trellis to any side or rear boundaries to add extra height up to a maximum of 2m.