BE aware of the ice bandits when you are leaving home for work in the next few days.

The experts inform us that we will have at least one week of temperatures below freezing point.

Criminals will take advantage of this so the public need to be mindful.

Vehicle crime tends to rise whenever we get icy weather.

The reason for this is simple — people leave their vehicles running outside their houses to defrost the windows while they nip back inside the house.

Criminals plan for this and will go out looking for these situations.

Rather than finishing your breakfast or getting ready with the car running, just bring your morning routine forward by five minutes.

A similar method is for the thieves to target newsagents and other shops.

Again drivers will often pull up outside the shops first thing in the morning and leave the engine running because the vehicle has not warmed up properly.

Numerous vehicles have been stolen over the years because of this. This can be avoided quite easily, by preparing your vehicle the night before.

A simple sheet or piece of card can be placed over windscreens — but please remember to remove it before driving off.

Also scrapers and gloves to be left inside the house in preparation. Whatever action you take, never leave your vehicles unattended with your keys in the ignition, not only will this be a gift for the thieves specifically looking for this, but there are opportunist criminals who would take advantage.

As with all crime prevention advice, please do not think that this type of crime will not happen to you.

If you leave your engine running, you stand a chance of your car being stolen.

Remember, criminals are targeting this — we call them Ice bandits.

We have staff patrolling first thing in the mornings, trying to identify vehicles running without the owner near it and providing the necessary advice.