Police are appealing for witnesses after a burglary in Hook overnight between Wednesday, December 30 and Thursday, December 31.

Sometime between 11pm on Wednesday and 6am on Thursday an address in Ashlea was broken into via the front door.

A number of items including mobile phones, a digital camera, a wallet and purses and a set of car keys were stolen from the address.

A black Mercedes car was then stolen from the driveway of the property.

PC Daniel Simpson, of the Yateley Targeted Patrol Team, said: “We would ask anyone with information or anyone who witnessed the burglary to contact us as soon as possible.

“Residents are reminded to ensure their homes are secure at all times and that front doors are always double locked so they cannot easily be opened by putting an implement through the letterbox.”

Hampshire Constabulary offers the following Safer Homes advice:

• Keep valuable items out of view – if you have electrical equipment worth hundreds of pounds, don’t keep it by the window where passers-by can see it.

• Never leave a key under a doormat or on a string through the letterbox – it’s the first place any burglar will look.

• Make sure tools and ladders are kept in a secure place – burglars will happily use your own garden equipment to break into your home.

• If you’ve taken extra security precautions, let would-be burglars know. If you have an alarm, make sure the box can be clearly seen. If you take part in a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, display a sticker in your window, and if you have a dog, put up a warning sign.

• Hide financial documents and keys – if someone does break in you don’t want them to also steal from your bank account or take your car.

• Make sure you secure all your doors and windows every time you leave the house, even if you are ‘just popping out’.

• If you are in the garden or upstairs, make sure your downstairs doors are locked – in the summer burglars can often just open the front door and help themselves.

• Deadlock your doors with the key – don’t just lift up the handle.

• Make use of all door and window locks fitted in your home.

• Consider getting a letter box deflector.

• Keep house keys upstairs or store them near the door out of sight for easy access in an emergency.

• Keep your car keys away from the front door and store them somewhere safe.

• Keep handbags out of sight.