Residents advised to remain vigilant following series of shed burglaries in Wilmslow

Officers in Wilmslow are advising residents to remain vigilant and ensure their outbuildings are properly secured following several incidents across the town.

Between Monday 11 March and the early hours of Tuesday 12 March, officers in Wilmslow responded to four burglaries involving sheds and outbuildings. 

The first incident was reported at 1.47pm on Monday 11 March, when it was reported that an unlocked shed at an address on Buckingham Road, Wilmslow, had been entered after a gate at the rear of the property had been forced open. An unknown number of individuals entered the shed, but nothing was stolen.

Later that evening, at around 11.10pm a garage at an address on Knutsford Road was the subject of an attempted burglary, with an unknown number of individuals using a screwdriver to access the building. Luckily, this was unsuccessful and nothing was stolen.

However, officers later received a third call not long after at 11.26pm, with the caller reporting that an Open MIN.D bike had been stolen from a shed at an address on Northward Road.

A fourth call was then reported to officers at 12.20am on Monday 12 March at an address on Moor Lane. The caller reported that an unknown number of individuals had forcibly accessed a shed outside of their property and stole approximately £500 worth of tools.

There is currently no evidence of any of the incidents being linked, though detectives are keeping an open mind and are exploring all possibilities. 

Officers are urging anyone with information about these incidents to come forward and are appealing for residents to take action to reduce their chances of becoming victims.

Inspector Nick Rogers, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, said:

“Enquiries in relation to these incidents are ongoing and I urge anyone with any information or footage regarding them to get in touch.

“Residents can also help us and themselves by making it as difficult as possible for criminals to enter their outbuildings.

“We’d recommend keeping any valuables you may have in your home or in a secure garage, shed or outbuilding with good security measures such as lighting, ground anchors, and CCTV that covers any blind spots."

Cheshire Constabulary’s tips for deterring thieves and burglars from targeting your outbuildings include:

• Never leave a garage, shed or other outbuilding unlocked and easy prey for opportunist thieves
• Fit strong padlocks to outbuilding doors and make sure that the doors are solid enough not to be kicked in
• Good external security lighting can put off or draw attention to a thief/burglar – the most appropriate form is high efficiency low energy lighting controlled by a dusk-to-dawn switch so that it only comes on when it is dark
• Strong fencing or gates will make it difficult for intruders to get onto your land
• Solid fences or walls, particularly those with a flat or rounded top, are relatively easy for a thief/burglar to climb over – fixing trellising to the top can make it more difficult
• Check for weak spots where a thief/burglar could get onto your land, such as a low or sagging fence or a back gate with a weak lock
• A thorny hedge along the boundary of your property can put thieves and burglars off, as can gravel areas due to the noise of walking on them.

If you have information relating to the recent burglaries in Wilmslow or any other information you think may be relevant, please contact Cheshire Police on 101 or via the website quoting IML-1775882.

You can also give information anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.