Spring is in the air

It’s always a welcome sight to see the sun in the sky and get that feeling that spring is here at last.  The nights are getting longer and soon the clocks will be going back.  This is the time of year that we carry out that much needed spring clean and get some fresh air into the house. Also the garden starts to come alive again and needs some urgent attention. This may mean leaving front and back doors, Patio doors, French doors and various other windows open.  If we are in the house then leaving a down stairs window open shouldn’t be a problem, maybe even leaving the patio doors open whilst working in the garden should be ok, if you are only upstairs, in the next room or working in the garden then you would almost certainly hear or notice if anyone went into the house. This is a common mistake made when we are feeling good about the weather as we tend to let our guard down.  Unfortunately this is also now the time that those sneak in burglaries start again.  Being able to walk up a drive and just nip through an open door to pick up a mobile phone, wallet or purse is all too easy for the sneak in burglar.

But things can become very unpleasant and costly if your hand bag or laptop is taken but worst of all is your house keys and or car keys.  Usually due to the subtle nature of this crime any items stolen are not usually missed at first as we may think we have just misplaced them and after hours of frustrating searching realise that they have been stolen.  If your keys have been stolen to your house then it means calling out an emergency lock smith to change the locks as you can’t leave the house plus if your car keys have been taken it’s an expensive bill from the garage to swap all the locks and ignition barrel, sometimes hundreds of pounds!

It can be a bind always locking the door when we are in the garden, in another room or upstairs but it’s a good habit to get into. You may not wish to go as far as fitting window bars, a window grille or roller shutters but using some common sense is vital.  Don’t leave any valuables near the doors or open windows and never hang your keys up on a hook next to the back door. If you have an alarm installed then sometimes they have a chime feature which is activated if a door is opened alerting you to any uninvited guests.  Taking a few simple measures will ensure your home security and that you are not the victim of the sneak – in burglar!