POLICE have launched a plea for people in Darwen to "lock up their belongings" in a bid to stamp out crime in the area after a series of thefts.

People are being urged to take more care when leaving property and are being advised not to leave items on display in their cars.

Inspector Tracie O'Gara of Darwen CID has renewed her appeal for people to think before they leave their houses unlocked or their cars with items left on display. Inspector O'Gara said: "We have had a wave of unnecessary crimes reported to us lately where people have left their doors unlocked or left property on display in their cars for thieves to take full advantage of.

"We need to get the message across for people to take security more seriously to help prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. We urge people to think and lock up their belongings to help stamp out these kind of crimes. It is something which we are very aware of and we want people to realise that they can save themselves a lot of hassle by locking up and taking a few extra precautions when stepping out of their houses or cars."