TWO men have been caught on CCTV breaking into vehicles and checking the doors of every car parked in a residential street in the early hours of the morning.

Residents are being urged to be alert after the men were spotted trying to get into cars in Upper Lees Drive in Westhoughton.

The thieves were unsuccessful in their attempts to get into most of the cars but smashed the glass of a van and got into one car.

Nothing was taken from either vehicle but the owner of the van has had to have the window repaired.

Aaron Voce lives in Upper Lees Drive, Westhoughton and on Saturday a neighbour came around asking if anything had been picked up on his house’s CCTV system.

He went back through his system and found footage from around 4am on Friday showing two men walking down the street and checking the doors and boots of a number of the vehicles.

They were dressed in dark colours and were carrying rucksacks as they tried to get into the vehicles.

They gained access to the van by smashing the small glass panel next to the window before reaching in to open the door.

They can then be seen using a torch to search through the van and a torch can also be seen shining inside the targeted car.

Mr Voce, aged 25, said: “I have been getting messages from people saying they have seen these guys going round doing the same thing.

“People are pretty angry in Westhoughton at the moment. Obviously the police station was removed a few years ago. People have seen crime rates go up and there is a lack of police in Westhoughton.”

Concerns have recently been raised about burglaries and armed robberies that have taken place in the town and people are now worried their cars are being targeted.

Mr Voce, who works in IT, wants people to be aware of what is going on.

He said: “This is why I chose to release the footage. I think making people aware of what is going on will hopefully make them more careful. I think a lot of people are starting to get CCTV.”

People are urged to remove their valuables from their car and always make sure it is locked and it should be left in a well-lit area to deter criminals from trying to access it.

Anyone with information about the men or the break-ins should call police on 101.