POLICE asked the members of the bowls and golfing community of Gloucestershire to be vigilant, following a series of burglaries - one of which occurred in Coleford.

Police said over recent months, offenders have broken into clubhouses before smashing the glass fronts of trophy cabinets and stealing trophies from inside.

One incident took place in Coleford on Saturday, June 28, which saw offenders break into a shop at a sports club, before stealing the cash tray from the till and a set of buggy keys. The individual then drove away on a buggy before abandoning it.

A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesperson said: “The public are asked to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity, such as people scoping out properties by driving past slowly in vehicles.

“Call 999 if a crime is happening at the time, a suspect is nearby, if someone is in immediate danger or there is a risk of serious damage to a property.”

Another incident took place in Cheltenham overnight on Monday, June 30 into Tuesday, July 1, which saw offenders smash a glass door and steal trophies from a display cabinet.

A further incident took place in Broadway on Monday, April 14 and saw offenders force entry to the building before stealing trophies.

Enquiries into the incidents are ongoing and officers are keen to hear from anyone who has not already spoken to police and who may have CCTV or dashcam footage which could assist the ongoing investigations.

Anyone with footage or information can provide this to police online by completing the following form and quoting the relevant incident number. Coleford is incident 72, Cheltenham is incident 119, and Broadway is incident 543.

The news comes in a year which has seen various burglaries, including two in one night, reported by The Forester in February.