A spate of burglaries in Carnon Downs has seen six homes targeted in just four hours this week, with two of the householders finding the thief brazenly wandering around their house.

Police in Truro are appealing for witnesses after the thefts which all happened between 9am and 1pm on Tuesday, (January 27).

Officers says several properties had their windows smashed in order to gain entry, and following a search cash was stolen from two of the properties.

On two occasions householders have seen and even spoken to the offender who accessed their property via an insecure door.

The offender was variously described as a white man of large build, aged between 30 and 50 years, and wearing high visibility clothing and a hard hat.

He may have spoken with a foreign or eastern European accent. When challenged, the man made various excuses about being there to check the building or a water meter.

Inspector Mark Richards said “We would appeal to the wider community and residents of Carnon Downs to come forward and talk to us if they had any unusual or suspicious callers or vehicles at their home yesterday.

"We expect that with this number of premises attacked that the offender may have visited several more in the locality and somebody might be able to provide us with a critical piece of evidence. We cannot rule out the possibility that there were more than one person involved or that they may have been using one or more vehicles.

“This is an exceptionally unusual occurrence to have so many burglaries committed in such a small time frame. We would normally expect only about one break-in each week over the whole Truro area. Six in one day represents what we would normally experience in a couple of months. This is normally a very safe area with a very low crime are and that is why we are so keen to catch this man and bring him to justice”

The local police are also advising people to be vigilant and bear in mind their own home security. Don’t leave windows and doors open and unlocked when you go out. Leave your door on a key chain when you are in. Be wary of cold callers at your address and always check their identification cards. If you have any concerns phone the company they claim to represent or the police.

If you have any information please ring 101 quoting crime reference number CR/006219/15 and a local officer will contact you.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or report online at www.Crimestoppers-uk.org