RESIDENTS have been advised to keep ground floor windows shut despite the hot weather - to help cut the number of opportunist burglaries.

Thieves in Redbridge have been taking advantage of the recent warm spell by getting into homes through open windows - with police now calling on the public to make life harder for criminals by keeping them shut and locked.

A police spokesman said: "Despite the warm weather the advice is that ground floor windows and any that an intruder could reach by climbing must be closed and made secure by fitting key-operated window locks.

"An open window is like a magnet to an opportunist burglar and may invalidate insurance cover.

"Rarely will an offender climb through a broken window. The window locks make it far more difficult to open the window.

"Burglars are reluctant to smash windows and climb through them as they know they will make a lot of noise, they may injure themselves on the broken glass, it may slow down their escape route and there is a strong possibility that they will leave DNA evidence on the broken glass."

In addition to keeping windows secure, police are also advising residents to avoid leaving valuables on display, to consider hanging net curtains in order to prevent easy vision into their homes and installing internal security grills and window alarms.

For more crime prevention advice call the police Crime Prevention Office on: 8345 3406.