BURGLARS drove off with two cars after stealing keys from a home on Sunday night.

It is believed an implement was used through the letterbox at an address on Vulcan Park Way, Newton-le-Willows to collect the house keys before using them to enter the property and take the car keys from inside.

Offenders then took the two cars parked outside the house – a black VW Golf, registration MX65 YTH, and a silver Ford S-Max Estate registration number VF07 URB – and drove away in them.

The burglary took place between 11.30pm on Sunday (26 June) and 6.30am on Monday.

It is the second case of burglars taking off with a car in the area within a few days after an incident in Prescot last week.

Detective Constable Roy Waller from St Helens CID said: "We would like to reassure the community that we are working to identify the people responsible, and locate the two cars.

"I would urge local residents to check their front doors, windows and garage doors to prevent becoming easy targets, and ensure any 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.

"If you have a garage use it or if you park on a driveway ensure you close your gates at night and consider putting an obstruction such as your wheelie bin in front of your vehicle.

"Always put your car keys out of sight and never leave them in the back of your door and if possible use a steering wheel lock on your vehicle, which are unappealing to thieves looking to make a fast getaway."

He added: "These people are looking for the easiest and least confrontational way to steal a vehicle. Anything you can do to make it harder for them means you are less likely to fall victim.

"We all need to be vigilant. If you see anyone acting suspiciously report it to the police. These offenders will need to walk up driveways to look through doors and windows to see if there are keys in sight of a door or window. If you notice any such behaviour contact the police on 101 or in an emergency dial 999."

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.