Warning as police see rise in burglaries at Harrogate building sites

Here are 19 pictures of school starters from across the Harrogate district in 2006

There have been two incidents in the Harrogate district in the last 48 hours, one at a new home building site at Swale close, Langthorpe, near Boroughbridge, and another in Penny Pot Gardens in Harrogate.

Sites have also been targeted in Skipton, Dishforth, Boroughbridge and Markington.

The items being stolen are predominantly boilers (Ideal Logik Combi) which have been fitted to the properties. The suspects are cutting the gas/water supply pipes before removing the boilers, which has caused flood damage to some of the houses.

Other stolen property includes furnishings from two show homes (valued at £70,000) from a site in Knaresborough and a Dumper truck stolen from a site at Markington near Ripon.

Officers are asking members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity near building sites in and around Harrogate. It is also asked that any CCTV which may overlook the building sites is checked for suspicious activity, in particular large vans driving outside the sites.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police by dialling 101, choosing option one and passing information onto the Force Control Room.