BURGLARS made off with a car after taking car keys from inside a Prescot home last night.

Police are appealing to the public to keep their homes secure at night and to keep car keys out of sight, following the incident which took place between 11.30pm yesterday (Thursday, June 23) and 5.15am (Friday, June 24).

The offender forced their way into a house on Victoria Terrace through a window and stole a safe containing jewellery, as well as two purses.

The keys to a red Volkswagen Up car were taken by the offender, who left through the back door of the house before driving away in the stolen car.

CCTV footage shows the car being driven on Childwall Valley Road, Liverpool, at about 6.20am today.

Detective Constable from St Helens CID said: "We would like to reassure the community that we are working to identify the person or people responsible, and to locate the vehicle.

"I would urge residents to check their front doors, windows and garage doors to prevent becoming easy targets, and ensure your car keys are safely out of sight.

"Once you get into the habit of doing a quick check it doesn't take much time at all and can save you a lot of distress in the long run."

Anyone with information in relation to this offence or burglaries in general is asked to contact St Helens CID on 0151 777 6802, the non-emergency 101 number or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.