BINS in the district are increasingly being targeted by thieves – for a variety of reasons.
Warwickshire Police has seen a sharp rise in reports of wheelie bins going missing, which the force says are increasingly being used in criminal activity, everything from being used to transport stolen items to stand on to survey properties.
Police are urging bins left out on collection day can also be an indication to thieves that residents are not home, and advise asking a neighbour to collect them once emptied if there is no one at a property to bring them in straight away.
They also warn residents to destroy any documents which might give personal details to avoid possibly falling victim to identity theft.
Stratford District Council, which issues the bins, has received more than 70 reports of thefts this year.
But a council spokesman said it was possible some bins could had been ‘crushed’ if they toppled into the refuse truck during collection. They advised residents to check with the council if their missing bin had suffered such a fate.
