POLICE in Leigh are warning residents to take extra care in making their homes secure, to stop them falling victim to burglars targeting empty homes on New Year’s Eve.

Burglars take advantage of people letting their guard down in the festive season and victims can return home from partying in the small hours to find that they have been burgled.

Police are advising people to make sure all external doors and windows are locked and burglar alarms activated and to use lights, radios and timer switches to make your house look occupied.

People can also register valuables online through a free national database called www.immobilise.com.

The database is accessible to all UK police forces who use it to return lost and stolen possessions to their rightful owners.

Crime reduction advisor Lisa Morgan said: “Burglars expect people to be more relaxed and less cautious during the holiday season and take advantage of homes being unoccupied as people see in the New Year with friends and family.

“We will be visiting prolific offenders to warn them that we will be keeping a close eye on them, and increasing our high-profile and covert patrols in hotspot areas.”