A BURGLAR who had entered a house claimed to be in the property to fix the lights after being confronted by a teenage girl.

Police are appealing for information following reports of the attempted burglary on Market Street, Newton-le-Willows on Friday afternoon, June 11.

It was reported that at around 2.30pm an unknown man had gained entry to an address through an unlocked door.

The man was confronted by a 17-year-old girl in the property and claimed to be in the property to fix the lights. She told him to leave.

No items were taken and CCTV, forensic and witness enquiries are ongoing to find the man responsible.

He is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall of stocky build, receding hair and a beard.

He was wearing a white t-shirt and grey cargo shorts.

Anyone on Market Street on Friday afternoon who saw the man described or with any information please let us know with reference 21000410395 via @MerPolCC on Twitter, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Following the incident, police have issued some advice to keep your home safe:

• Keep valuables out of sight

• In warmer weather, if you’ve opened your windows make sure you close and lock them again when out of the room

• Fit outside security lighting

• Report any suspicious people or vehicles in your neighbourhood. Many crimes are prevented and people arrested after members of the public report unusual or suspicious activity to the police

• People who have UPVC doors are reminded to fully secure them. If you simply lift the handle you will NOT fully engage all of the locks into the frame. You MUST also double lock the door using the key

• Remember to remove keys from doors once they are locked

• Don’t advertise new items you may have bought such as electrical equipment to people by leaving the empty boxes outside your home

• Try to dispose of the packaging carefully by taking it to a recycling centre or keep it out of sight until the day your rubbish is collected

• During the dark nights, use a light timing device to switch the lights on

• Don't leave your car keys on display (on window ledges/worktops) and don't leave them by doors or windows where they could be grabbed with a hook or cane

• Always check your front and back door are secure even if you are in, burglaries can often occur via insecure back doors whilst residents are at home

• Secure your shed and garage properly. Don't leave tools lying around these could be used to help offender gain entry to your home

• Register your electronics’ serial numbers on www.immobilise.com

• Back up your photographs and saved work from electronics on cloud storage or safely stored hard drives/USBs.

Further advice on how to keep valuables safe and secure; marking your property to deter burglars, and a checklist when leaving the home can be found here: merseyside.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/.