A police chief urged home owners to be vigilant today after a rash of burglaries in Barking and Dagenham.

Det Insp Phil Brewer appealed to residents to keep their homes secure after 10 break-ins were believed to have netted burglars thousands of pounds of goods on Tuesday night.

Insp Brewer, the head of intelligence at Barking and Dagenham Police, said the increase in break-ins this week was rare but he does not believe it was orchestrated by an organised gang.

He said: “On average we have about five a day.

“The 10 we had this week was extremely unusual.

“You would find it will happen over a period of time.

“We’re not far from where the clocks are going back. This causes us problems. We see more burglaries.

“Using timers and light sensors are a very good deterrent.”

The 10 burglaries were spread across Barking and Dagenham streets and two of them were attempted break-ins, Insp Brewer said.

No one was injured in the raids but thieves may have been spotted by neighbours during two break-ins, he added.

Insp Brewer stressed the number of burglaries fluctuated throughout the week with just three break-ins reported the following night.

He said stolen items included valuables such as jewellery, laptops and cash.

Insp Brewer is now working with his 18-strong burglary and robbery team to bring the thieves to justice.

He added: “We wouldn’t say there are any gangs.

“People will target an area for a few days and in a bid to evade being caught they will move to somewhere slightly different.

“We have got a number of individuals we are looking at but we very much rely on the public to give us information.”

Witnesses and people with information about stolen goods are urged to contact police by dialling 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.