THE recent hot weather has provided an open invitation for a burglar police have dubbed a "creeper".

Since Thursday night, police believe the same offender has made off with thousands of pounds worth of goods by climbing through small windows left open as the owners slept.

In Homewood Road, Sturry, on Thursday night a Toshiba laptop and Sagem mobile phone were stolen. The burglar is believed to have got into the house through a small, unlocked window of a shower room that opened onto a flat roof.

A handbag was stolen from a house in Cherry Drive, Canterbury, during the night on Saturday, after a small kitchen window was left ajar.

On Sunday at Brabourne Close, in Canterbury, a Citizen watch worth £100, a Sony video camera worth £650 and a computer worth £900 were stolen when the owner left the front window open during the night.

The "creeper" was not so successful in Meadow Road, Canterbury, at 12.30am on Tuesday. The offender attempted to enter a house by leaning in through a fanlight to open a larger window but set off the burglar alarm. The resident was woken and saw a man running across fields towards Neal Place. Police dogs arrived but were unable to trace the burglar.

A police spokesman said: "It takes just the smallest window to be left insecure for a burglar to gain access to your house. Of most concern is that these burglaries are happening at night when residents are in bed.

"It is vital that you check downstairs windows are closed and locked every night. The same is true of windows on the first floor that can be reached by climbing walls or garages.

"Even during the day, windows left open in unoccupied rooms can be used to quickly get into a house.”