RESIDENTS have warned others in their area to be cautious after a number of thefts occurred one after the other.

Earlier this month, CCTV footage emerged on community Facebook page Bradford 4 Better of a man breaking into a car on Pollard Lane.

This had followed another incident less than 24 hours earlier in the BD3 postcode when a vehicle on Killinghall Road had its window smashed and the driver’s belongings were stolen.

On the video, a hooded man approaches a black Mercedes passenger door equipped with a tool at around 9.40am.

He appears to use this to force the window to smash quietly.

The man proceeds to have a good rummage to see what he can find.

Upon hearing noise from a house, he foolishly takes his hood down before scarpering.

A relative of the owner of the Mercedes, who wants to remain anonymous, said: “I couldn’t believe it.

"He had a tool to pull back the strip so he didn’t have to smash the window directly.

"We were in the house and we didn’t hear a thing, he was very skilled. He reached in to find something.

"We chased him and he ran off down the alley.

"He managed to steal £70 in cash. The window cost over £100 to fix too so he has cost us a fair bit of money. He is just a greedy thief.”

A West Yorkshire Police (WYP) spokesperson said: “Police were called at 9.50am on November 2 to a report of a theft from a motor vehicle on Pollard Lane.

"The theft is reported to have taken place about 10 minutes beforehand, when a thief smashed the vehicle’s window.

"Anyone who was in the area and saw what occurred is asked to contact Bradford District Police (BDP) on 101 referencing crime number 13210562941.”

It was proceeded by another theft occurring not even half a mile away the previous day.

The owner, who also wished to remain anonymous, had over £500 worth of items stolen from their car.

They say two mobile phones, which were under a seat in a bag, and a watch from the armrest was taken.

The owner said: “My car was parked on a main road. I parked it right outside my front door.

"People say I shouldn’t have left anything in there but why should anybody go in my car? Nothing was visible on the dashboard.

"Someone rummaging through my car is not my fault. It is the equivalent of someone walking into my bedroom and taking things whilst I’m asleep.

"Forget how much the phones are worth, I had some sentimental pictures on there. I am really wound up about them taking that.”

They added: “People don’t feel safe in parking their cars on their own drive which is a joke.

"I hope this gives the community a bit of awareness to be vigilant at this time of year with the early nights.

"After these few incidents it has made people paranoid and scared children.”

A WYP spokesperson added: “Officers received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle in Killinghall Road on November 1.

"It is reported that between 1.15 and 7am, a thief smashed the vehicle’s window, taking the contents inside.

"Anyone who was in the area and saw what occurred is asked to contact BDP on 101 referencing crime number 13210 561047.”

At this stage, police do not believe the thefts are linked.