Theives who stole from unwary householders in a spate of burglaries have prompted police to urge residents to secure their homes.

At a home in West Way, Carshalton, a thief entered through an unlocked door overnight on Friday 16 and stole a Radley black handbag, containing £25 and a wallet containing £15 from a worktop in the kitchen.

At another property in the same road on Saturday 17 an intruder reached through a cat flap to grab keys from the door before stealing a tanned leather shoulder bag, containing a purse, plastic card and £200 cash.

The week before, at a property in Brambledown Road, Wallington, on April 9-10, a thief grabbed a bag containing a mobile phone, purse, cards and £40 cash after entering the property through an unlocked rear kitchen door.

On April 10 at around 6.45pm a thief entered an unlocked garage door in Boundary Road, Carshalton, and grabbed a number of bags from the kitchen table belonging to guests who were at the property enjoying a dinner party.

The haul included bags, car keys, driving licences, passport, cash cards, mobile phones and a total of £75 cash PC Pat Simcox, of Sutton’s Crime Prevention team, said levels of residential burglary in Sutton are low - with an average of around two burglaries a day across the borough.

However, residents could make their properties more secure by taking a few simple steps even when they are at home, such as by shutting and locking doors and windows in rooms they are not using.

She said: “When you go to bed at night, lock all doors and windows and remove the keys.”

For crime prevention advice contact Sutton’s Crime Prevention team on 020 8649 0569.