Police recommend hiding car keys

Police: Keys do not belong on a hook by the door

Northamptonshire Police say people should conceal their car keys in their own homes after eight cars were stolen following break-ins.

The advice is particularly aimed at owners of the luxury vehicles currently being targeted by criminals in Northampton and other areas in the county.

The house burglaries have mostly occurred overnight and eight cars were stolen, including Audis, Mercedes, BMWs and Jaguars.

Eastern area Detective Inspector Simon Blatchly said: "Most people wouldn't leave £20,000 cash on a kitchen work surface but will leave a set of car keys."

Police said that in some cases offenders break in, and in others they use sticks to hook keys through letterboxes.

Besides hiding keys, police recommend locking cars and keeping them in the garage, along with locking house doors and installing a burglar alarm.

They also warned against leaving cars running unattended on cold days - two cars were stolen while being "warmed up" on Tuesday morning.