Penwortham residents outraged after spate of opportunistic break-ins

Residents in Penwortham have spoken of their shock after a spate of attempted break-ins in the area.
By Conor Marlborough
Published 26th Jul 2019, 10:33 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2019, 11:33 BST
Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.
Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.

Early on Wednesday morning (July 24), two figures were captured on CCTV on Kingsway at 4.30am, pulling on a car door handle.

Stuart Smith, a local business owner, realised the thieves had tried to steal his own van after his neighbour had been broken into.

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Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.
Stuart captured the incident on his CCTV.
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He said: “In the morning my wife saw the next door neighbour who told us to check our CCTV. It had been continuously recording and you can see them try my van door and then try my wife’s car door”.

Mr Smith, 48, said he was angry at the intrusion.

“I have been burgled twice before,” he said. “We moved house because of it.

“I was struggling to sleep at night, I was paranoid. Every little noise got me up and looking out the window. I shouldn’t need to do that. I should feel secure.”

Mr Smith believes the two thieves may be teenagers from the local area.

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He said: “Their parents obviously don’t care about them going about. I’ve got a 13-year-old kid - I know where he is - I wouldn’t let him out at that time.”

Lancashire Police are investigating. A spokesman said: “These appear to be opportunists who have been trying front doors and cars in the Penwortham area.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101.