POLICE have warned the public to be extra vigilant following a huge increase in burglaries in Cinderford.

During July, nine homes in Cinderford have been raided, compared to only two during the same month last year.

Police believe the big rise could be down to people leaving windows and doors open during the hot weather.

In one incident in Victoria Street, a burglar entered a house through an unlocked door and stole a Sony laptop, DVD player, and two video game consoles.

On the same day, at around 3.30pm, a handbag was stolen along with a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone worth several hundreds of pounds from a house on The Keelings.

Thieves smashed the window panel of a back door to get into a house in Steam Mills, taking a Panasonic 32 inch LED television, between 1am and 1.15am on July 16.

The occupant of a house on Church Road was woken by the sound of his dog barking at a burglar trying to force through a window in the early hours of July 18.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of The Forester.