An Eltham man wants to warn residents after hearing people in his garden and finding discarded bank cards on the ground.

Gareth Holmes, 38, of Moira Road, got in touch with News Shopper after a night of disturbances.

He said that on July 31 he heard someone walking through his garden to his neighbours at about midnight and then banging on the door for five minutes before leaving.

Gareth told News Shopper: “Then again at 3.30 we heard someone come through the gate, knock over a plant pot then again go through to the neighbours' gate.

“In the morning in our back garden I found a bank and ID card. I tracked down the owner, they told me they were burgled that night. Had their wallets, phones, computers etc stolen.

"Incidentally I padlocked the gate last night, heard it being shaken about 1am, and this morning you could see there’s some force applied."

Gareth now wants to warn others who might fall victim to these burglaries and advise them to take extra care when locking up.

How can you keep you house safe?

Lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house, even when you're just out in the garden, remembering to double-lock UPVC doors.

Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from the letterbox (remember a device could be used to hook keys through the letterbox)

Install a visual burglar alarm (as part of a suite of prevention measures - a burglar alarm on its own will not prevent entry to your home)

Install good outside lighting

Get a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your property

Leave radios or lights in your house on a timer to make the property appear occupied

Make sure the fences around your garden are in good condition

Secure bikes at home by locking them to an immoveable object inside a locked shed or garage

Keep ladders and tools stored away; don't leave them outside where they could be used to break into your home

Ensure side gates are locked to prevent access to the rear of the property

Ensure rear fencing is in good repair

Improve natural surveillance at the front of your property i.e. trim high hedges

Mark your property with postcode and house number and register your property for free with Immobilise(opens in a new window)

Consider joining or forming a Neighbourhood Watch scheme(opens in a new window)

Remove valuables from view of ground floor windows

Store any high value items (i.e. jewellery, passports) in a properly secured safe or bank vault