A TOWN councillor is warning residents to be extra vigilant after becoming the victim of a ‘sneak in’ theft.

Bob Clark, who sits on Padiham Town Council, issued the advice, following a burglary at his home in Rossall Close.

Police said the thieves sneaked in through an unlocked kitchen door between 11.30pm on Tuesday and 6.30am on Wednesday.

Once inside the property the offenders stole two men’s wallets, containing a ‘substantial’ amount of cash and a bunch of keys for vehicles.

Mr Clark confirmed there were no “obvious signs” of a forced entry, which has since led him to assume the door was left unlocked.

He is now warning other residents to pay extra care and attention to home security to avoid being burgled.

Mr Clark said: “We have an excellent alarm system, but there were no obvious signs of forced entry, so I will have to be more careful.

“It was a one-off. I’d withdrawn the cash earlier that day to pay a bill. Normally I wouldn’t have that much cash in the house, so they got lucky.

“I should have more sense because I go to all the police and communities together (PACT) meetings, so my advice to other people is to be vigilant.

“It has cost me another £200 to change the locks on the lorry they took the keys for.”

Mr Clark said he was in bed asleep with his wife at the time of the incident.

He added: “It was done so quickly and so silently, they have hit the jackpot.”

Anyone with information about the incident should call Burnley Police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.