LOCKSMITHS are urging homeowners to take more precautions as burglars are using BLOWTORCHES to break into homes.

Experts have warned that the criminals have used the heat to blast the doors and snap off locks in a spate of burglaries.

Locksmith L&E has warned that the trend is on the rise, after a customer of theirs in Manchester had their home broken into.

Intruders use the blowtorch to damage the locks before snapping them and making their way into the home.

Company director Elizabeth Johns is urging people to be aware of the trend, telling the MEN: "The reason intruders use blowtorches is that they are trying to remove the handle from around it, so they can get a good grip on the lock to then snap it.

"On standard locks, once the lock snaps, the door will open. So it’s all about gaining access to try and get a good grip on that lock."

She is urging homeowners to invest in snap resistant locks to stop the break ins happening so easily.

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Elizabeth also squashed a common misconception that intruders will break a window to gain access to a property.

She explained: "Once it’s snapped, a snap-resistant lock will still snap the lock, but your door will remain locked.

"It means unfortunately, the lock and the door will still be damaged, but the intruders won’t have gained access to your home.

“I think people don’t understand until it happens to them.

"And it’s quite frustrating for us, because we say, ‘look, everybody needs to have these locks installed’.

"As you can see from this case with our customer, it does happen, and it does happen a lot, unfortunately."

“Usually, people say, ‘if intruders wanted to get in, they would smash a window.’

"But, actually, they wouldn’t smash windows, because it makes a lot of sound and it’s alerting people.

"Normally, people who have been burgled come downstairs in the morning and see that it’s already happened because the thieves are trying to make as minimal sound as possible by using these methods."

The company have also urged people to make sure their locks are the right size for the doors – as it makes it easy to snap off if not.

She added: "A lot of the time, people have tried to install locks themselves.

"So, you’ll see a lock that’s too big for the door, which means it’s sticking out.

"Which means it gives intruders easy access to snap it out without even taking the handle off.

"It’s like Christmas Day for a thief if they see a lock that's too big – they will target locks like that."

One customer told how she and her family woke up one morning in December to find their door lock burned and badly damaged.

The customer, who asked not to be named, said: "It was a few days before Christmas, at around 5am, my family and I were asleep at home.

EXPERT’S TOP TIP

• Have snap-resistant locks fitted on all doors
• Hire a professional to install locks, rather than installing them yourself
• Keep your house keys and car keys out of plain sight- never leave keys inside locks
• Never leave keys hung up near doors, as thieves can use a wire to access keys through the letterbox
• If you lose your keys, get the locks changed as soon as possible
• Install visible deterrents such as floodlights and CCTV
• Make sure Ring Video Doorbells are positioned correctly
• Make sure security systems are up-to-date
• Watch out for markers that thieves use to target homes, like paving slabs, triangle or circle symbols or kidney beans on doorsteps

"We heard a noise, so we came downstairs and switched the lights on, but we didn't see anybody in the house, so we then went back to bed.

“It wasn’t until the next morning when my husband put the keys in the door and half the barrel came out with it.

"So we thought, ‘oh, that’s not normal.’ That's when we realised what had happened."

CCTV footage showed that the intruders were wearing balaclavas.

The police have been looking into the incident and have been supporting the customer's family.

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She is now having to get the door replaced, which is costing her between £400 and £500.

They added: “It’s just been horrible because you're waiting for the intruders to come back all the time.

"We’ve just not slept properly since, to be honest.

"We have a child in the house, so you don’t want thieves coming back and getting into a confrontation with them.

"So, the expense and the stress is not ideal. But the police have been really good.

"Had we not had the snap-resistant lock fitted, the thieves would have come into the house, 100%."

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