POLICE on the trail of the bin liner gang are appealing to householders not to make it a merry Christmas for the burglars who have struck more than 30 times in the past three months.

Since October 1 there have been 33 raids on homes in the Hedge End and West End areas and the gang - which often uses bin liners to cart away the booty - has escaped with thousands of pounds worth of property.

So far, the main targets have been cameras, jewellery and hi-fi equipment.

But police at Eastleigh say they are concerned that Christmas gifts could now be high on the thieves' breaking-and-entering list.

A small team of police officers has been tasked to try to track the gang down and is keen to hear from members of the public who may have seen anything suspicious in the Hedge End and West End areas over the past three months.

Eastleigh-based Sgt Andy Lupton said the bin liner gang usually struck between Thursdays and Mondays and, on a number of occasions, had targeted homes where the householders were away.

He said: "We would ask people considering going away over the festive period to take additional, sensible security measures to protect their homes.

"Ideally, ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your home and get them to push any mail right the way through the door."

Sgt Lupton said householders planning a festive break should also call any tradesmen to cancel deliveries and should not consider drawing all their curtains.

He added: "Leaving your bins out over the Christmas period needs to be thought about carefully and switch timers to turn on lights and radios are not expensive now.

"Finally, don't leave anything easy and on display for burglars to look at."