A spate of burglaries in St Albans which resulted in six men being arrested last week has prompted police to give out weekly crime prevention advice in the city centre up until Christmas.

Officers from St Albans Neighbourhood Team will be holding a crime prevention stand at St Albans market every Wednesday and Saturday for the new few weeks following a sharp rise in burglaries which started in October.

Between the start of October and November 30, there have been 87 home burglaries in St Albans compared to 65 which happened in the same period last year.

Last week six men were arrested in connection with burglaries in St Albans and three were charged.

• Beqa Esen, of no fixed abode was charged on November 18 on suspicion of going equipped to commit burglary. He was later detained and appeared at St Albans Magistrates Court yesterday (November 30).

• Daniel Ward, 31, of Oak Avenue in South Shields was charged with burglary dwelling and fraud by false representation on Wednesday, November 25. He appeared at Hatfield Remand Court on the same day and was remanded into custody.

• David Adams, 39, of Canterbury Street in South Shields was charged with burglary dwelling. He was released on police bail and is next due to appear at ST Albans Magistrates Court on December 11.

The other three men were released with no further action taken.

Detective inspector Peter Frost from St Albans Police Station is leading the investigation into the burglaries.

He said: “We are continuing to work hard to drive down the number of burglaries in St Albans city and district and would encourage anyone who feels may need further information about how best to secure their homes and properties to visit our stand.

“Despite the arrested we have made, offences are on-going at a higher rate than we would expect them to be for this time of the year and we will not relent until we put a stop to them.

“As ever, our message to residents is still the same – to help us in the fight against this burglary spike please ensure homes are properly secure though taking simple precautions such as securing gates, full locking doors and considering the further crime prevention tips below.

“I would also ask member of the public to continue to be vigilant – if you see someone acting suspiciously in the area or notice an unfamiliar car in your street that seems out of the ordinary, please contact us on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if you believe you have witnessed a crime taking place.”