PEOPLE who leave their windows open during the hot weather risk falling victim to crime, police warned.

The advice follows three raids on homes in Haslingden within 24 hours where property worth thousands of pounds was stolen.

The thieves got in through windows which had been left ajar, police said.

Trinkets and sentimental items were taken along with a car, LCD television, jewellery, wallets, cash and computer equipment.

The first house targeted was in Ratcliffe Street, while the owners were out between 2.20pm and 3.10pm on Saturday.

A baseball bat, Gurkha sword, snooker figurine trophy, a shower unit and two pouches of tobacco, totalling £80, were taken.

The second home burgled was in Grane Street, which was accessed through a ground floor window left on a latch, and £3,500 of property was taken.

Games consoles, iPads, and around 20 pieces of gold jewellery were stolen between 3.45pm and 5.30pm while the householders were out.

The next house targeted was a 10-minute walk away from the property hit 12 hours earlier. Between 3.30am and 9.30am, while a family in Rudd Street slept, burglars climbed up on to the sloping roof of their kitchen extension and got into the back bedroom.

After rifling through drawers and stealing a television, an iPhone 3, wallet, Nokia mobile phone and £500 of jewellery, the thieves took a set of car keys.

Police later found the owner’s Honda Civic was found seven-and-a-half miles in Churchtown Crescent, Bacup on Sunday.

In a similar incident, two men drove up to Stubbins Primary School in a white van. One got in through an open door and raided the staff cloakroom for wallets, phones and money.

Sgt Mark Taylor, of Rossendale Police, said: “It’s very dangerous leaving doors and windows open while the weather is hot.

“Opportunists are much more likely to enter through an open window than smash their way in. They will go for whatever’s easiest.

“Do a test. Lock your house and go outside and think of how you would get in if you were a burglar.

“If there are any places that you could enter through, don’t give them the opportunity.”