POLICE are warning residents not to leave any windows or doors open during the summer following a series of burglaries.

A resident in Royal Road, Dartford, went out during the early evening and left her conservatory window open.

This allowed a burglar to get in, kick the kitchen door open and steal cash and jewellery.

Two days earlier on the afternoon of July 17 a woman was upstairs vacuuming in her house in Winters Croft, Gravesend, but her back door had been left open.

She had a laptop, navigation device, keys, wallet and i-pod stolen.

During the night of July 15 in Ferndale Road, Gravesend, a burglar reached in through an open window and took a mobile phone from the inside windowsill.

And overnight on July 10, a small window was left open at the back of a house in The Turnstones, Gravesend.

A burglar got in, stole two laptops and then left by the front door.

Detective Inspector Christian Collier, from Kent police, said: “Despite people knowing the risks of leaving windows and doors open, they still are.

“Around 80 per cent of the burglaries on homes that I deal with have happened because of a lapse in security, and not just if the front door has been left wide open.

“It’s leaving a small rear window open, a back door unlocked or a shed unsecured.

“Even if you’re just popping out for five minutes, be aware of security. Burglars are in and out very quickly once they see an opportunity.

“So many burglaries could be prevented if people spent just a couple of minutes securing their home.”