HOLMES Chapel residents are being urged to make it harder for criminals to break into their homes.

The call comes from community support officer for Dane Valley, PCSO Liz Chesters.

She said: “During August we noticed an increase in incidents being reported for suspicious activity, involving a wheelie bin being moved at a property to potentially gain access and that a door handle had been attempted to be opened during the evening.

“Therefore we wish to provide you with some home security advice such as reconsidering the layout of your garden and look for potential easy access points you can make harder for criminals to use.

“Check for weak spots, for example a low or sagging fence or a back gate with a weak lock.

“We know it has been a warm few months, but avoid leaving your windows open during the night and double check your doors are locked before you turn in for the evening.

“We are glad to say that over the last three weeks we have started to open up our weekly community meetings held at Holmes Chapel Community Centre.

“This has been possible as we have a new vehicle that has been used for ‘mobile’ meetings that are held outdoors on the top car park to ensure we are compliant with the current Covid-19 legislation.

“If you are also interested in more of our activity and advice during this time please follow us on social media, where we are able to speak directly to you as our community about incidents and crimes we are finding in the area.”

“Your local officers social media pages are ‘Dane Valley Police’ for Facebook and ‘@DaneValleyPol’ for our Twitter account. You can also contact us via Crewe.LPU@Cheshire.pnn.police.uk”