Avon and Somerset Police are investigating a number of overnight burglaries in Bristol, Keynsham and South Gloucestershire, on Wednesday 5th to Thursday 6th October, while householders slept.
Officers became aware of the first burglary when they were called to a report of a crashed car in Crews Hole Road, St George, at about 5.15am.
The BMW was found to have been stolen from an address in Downend. Thieves had broken into the property and stolen the car keys, taking the car, a laptop and a pushbike without rousing the household.
Soon after 6.30am a household reported that their front door in St George had been forced. A watch and a wallet were stolen from the house along with the keys to a BMW and a Vauxhall Corsa, which were also taken.
At 6.50am officers were called to an address in Hanham, where another BMW had been stolen. Again thieves broke into the house and took the car keys and a handbag. House-to-house enquiries led officers to discover there had been an attempt to break into a second home nearby.
Just before 8am there was a call reporting a fourth BMW had been stolen from Keynsham. It’s unclear how this vehicle was stolen as the owner still has the keys.
At 9am officers were called by a household who woke this morning to find the front door of their home in Kingswood had been damaged. As yet it’s not believed anything was stolen in this incident.
Local Policing Inspector Steve Davey said: “Our investigations into these offences are in an early stage, and we will obviously keep an open mind as to whether there is any link between them.
“We would ask anyone with any information which they think could help to get in touch, quoting reference 5216222240.
“It’s important to lock up and set the alarm, if you have one, at night as well as when you go out. We’d also recommend hiding your keys and handbag or wallet safely out of sight, and never leaving your keys in the back of the door.
“If you hear a suspicious noise in the night please do check your property and call us straight away if you find any damage or see someone running away.”
Remember to call 999 if a crime’s underway or there’s a suspect in the area, otherwise ring 101.
You can also report crime online at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact.