Police have urged South Ribble, Leyland and Chorley residents to conceal their car keys after a series of Hanoi burglaries.

A Hanoi-style burglary, named after a police initiative created to stamp out the practice, describes an offence in which an offender steals car keys out of a house before taking a vehicle.

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Chorley Police said the current offenders are part of an organised crime group travelling cross-border into the county to target high value and high-performance vehicles.

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PC Walker said: “Please stay vigilant. Keep the keys as far away from the car as possible and preferably in a faraday bag or tin foil to stop the thieves using a relay device.

“Keep the keys put away, so if they do get into the house, they cannot find them. If you are lucky enough to have multiple vehicles, block them in with each other.

“If we make it hard work for them, they will go elsewhere. We want to make Lancashire a hostile environment for these thieves to work. If we all come together, we can do that.”

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The police said they are working behind the scenes to tackle the offences.

They said attempted thefts have occurred where the homeowners disturbed the thieves, who ran away.

In one incident, a victim heard his car alarm while sleeping, but when he checked, he did not see anything and went back to bed – minutes later, the thieves stole the from the drive.

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Chorley Police advised residents seeking crime prevention advice to contact their local policing team.

To report suspicious activity, ring 999 or 101.

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