RESIDENTS and business owners in Moredon have spoken of their anger after a recent spate of burglaries in the area.

Over the past two weeks, thieves have targeted around half a dozen stores in Blair Parade, Moredon Road, and have left people worried about further break-in attempts.

Neil Mulcock, owner of The Cakehole, which was hit last Sunday night, said: “We have recently had a bit of work done and a brand new door fitted. I came in on Monday and noticed a big gap between the door and the door frame where they had tried to get in.

“Luckily they didn’t manage to break in. They tried, but couldn’t get past the door. It’s going to cost about £695 now to replace the door.”

Neil admitted he had no idea who could be behind it, though he guessed at their motives.

“They are obviously trying for money,” he said. “It must be someone looking for some quick cash. There were a few burglaries a couple of months ago and now it seems to have started again.”

Despite concerns, Neil stressed that it is still a very friendly area. He even praised the neighbourhood policing team for their work in the community.

One resident, however, who lives near Blair Parade, and who wished to remain anonymous, thought the police should be doing more.

“There’s no police presence round here,” he said.

“If we had officers on the beat, like we used to, then the criminals would probably think twice about doing things like this.

“It’s usually quite a nice area round here and there’s very rarely any trouble.

“But for some reason there are some people who think they can go about trying to break into people’s property.”

Asked if he was concerned for his safety, he replied: “I am, actually.

“Anyone could try to break in here and there’s nothing much I’d be able to do about it.”

Virgilio’s barbers was also one of the businesses targeted.

Owner Franco Virgilio said: “We all seem to have been hit in the space of about two or three days.

“We had a little bit of cash taken. Not much, around £20-£30. They broke in through the window.

“We are very concerned that it will happen again. It’s a real pain at the moment.

“I hope the police manage to do something about it. We need to see something being done to make us feel secure.”

The police confirmed with the Adver on Friday that although they didn’t have specific details of the burglaries and attempted burglary, they are currently looking into the the reports about the incidents.