Police warn of an increase in keyless van thefts across East Lancashire

The warning has been issued by police after an increase in thefts of keyless Ford Transit and Ford Fiesta vans across East Lancashire.

Officers are offering advice to drivers on how they can keep their vehicles safe and extra secure from opportunist thieves.

A spokesman for Burnley and Padiham Police said: "We have experienced a rise in Ford Transits van and Ford Fiesta particularly ST models being stolen without keys in recent weeks. This is not unique to Lancashire, however as the offenders have recently increased their activity within East Lancashire, we need your support. If you have a similar vehicle, please take a look at what you can do to provide extra protection: Get steering/pedal locks; Block it in when parking.

"We strongly encourage you to use additional overt security devices, doing this may be the difference between your vehicle being stolen or not. These thieves are often deterred by additional security measures that need cutting off or make an unnecessary noise.

"How you can be a good neighbour…if your neighbour has one of these types of vehicles and it never moves at night, if it suddenly drives off at 1am, please let us know - we would rather have a false call with good intent, than a stolen vehicle and an unhappy owner."

Anyone who witnesses any suspcious activity is asked to call police on 101.