THREE cars have been stolen from outside properties.

On both occasions the offenders entered the house and stole the car keys before taking the vehicles.

The first was on Friday, March 3 between 9pm and 10.27 from a house in St Leonard’s Avenue in Horwich.

The offenders entered the property through an unsecure front door and took a handbag and some car keys.

The car keys were then used to steal two vehicles from outside the property.

Another vehicle was taken from outside a house in the Old Vicarage Road, also in Horwich, between midnight on Sunday, March 12 and 10.20am on Monday, March 13.

The offenders smashed the lock on the front door to gain entry to the property and carried out an untidy search.

A laptop and car keys were stolen and the keys were then used to steal a vehicle from the driveway of the property.

Police encourage people to secure their home with alarms and good quality locks, adding that insurance companies offer discounts on houses that have these.

Police also suggest that people are a member of a home watch group and that they make sure the quality of the wood in their door is good, with it also recommended that spare keys are left with a neighbour.