POLICE are appealing for witnesses and information after two house burglaries in Redditch in which laptops and computers were stolen.

In a daytime burglary at Barlich Way between 11.15am and 3pm on Wednesday, March 26 property worth more than £3,000 was stolen.

The house was broken into after the rear was accessed via a side gate and the haul comprised two iPads and three iPods worth a total of £1,500; two Xbox consoles together worth £600; a purple netbook and grey laptop with a combined value of £800; a Sony DVD recorder worth £150 and a pair of Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses.

The previous day, Tuesday, March 25 a house in Fulbrook Close, Church Hill, was broken into between 2am and 5.30am when a Viglen Durus laptop was stolen in a large black leather-effect laptop bag. The thieves also took a small black, leather-effect handbag containing a red purse and bunches of keys.

Detectives based at Redditch Police Station are not currently linking the break-ins but want to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious between the relevant times at those addresses.

Detective Constable Cheryl Jones said: “The handbag taken at Fulbrook Close may have been thrown away nearby as it contained little of any value, so we would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have come across it.”

She added that police were urging residents to be mindful of their home security, keeping windows and doors locked, and to mark valuables with forensic coding products such as SmartWater.

Anyone with information about the burglaries should contact Det Con Stuart Mitchinson or Det Con Jones at Redditch Police Station on the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident reference 374-S-260314 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.