A SPATE of thefts from vehicles in the New Forest has prompted a warning from police.

Officers are investigating overnight offences in Fordingbridge, Ringwood, New Milton and Lymington.

And some vehicles have been broken into while parked on driveways.

A spokesman for Ringwood police said: "We have seen a recent spike in thefts overnight in the Fordingbridge, Ringwood, New Milton and Lymington areas.

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"If your vehicle is parked on a driveway or in-front of a garage, you may want to consider installing a CCTV camera covering the area which your vehicle is parked or installing a motion-detector dash-cam. This way, it may serve as a deterrent to potential thieves as they know that they will be caught on camera."

The spokesman said most burglaries are committed by opportunists and added: "Personal items such as mobile phones and tablets, handbags and work tools left somewhere obvious can be an attractive target, so please do take them indoors with you every night.

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"Please be reassured that we are doing all we can to protect the community and bring these offenders to justice.

"We would urge you to remove all personal belongings from your vehicle each night. While this might seem laborious at the time, it might just save you from becoming a victim of crime."

Anyone who sees a crime in progress is asked to call 999.