SKIPTON police are urging people to make sure their vehicles are locked and secure after several cars were broken into.

And the district's inspector has warned Craven is at risk of losing its accolade of being amongst the safest places to live in the country, unless people act now.

In just more than a week, thousands of pounds of property was taken from eight insecure cars parked across Craven.

An attempt to break into a ninth car has also been reported to police.

Cars include a Ford Fiesta, a VW Golf and a Vauxhall Zafira, and they were parked in Skipton, Ingleton, Settle and in Gargrave, where five cars were entered overnight on November 21.

Inspector Geoff Crocker, said police believed those behind the Gargrave thefts had moved onto Settle where a van was taken and recovered following a short police pursuit towards Keighley.

Unfortunately, weather conditions at the time meant the offenders were able to get away, said Ins Crocker.

"We are however, investigating all lines of inquiry including track able devices, forensic material and CCTV footage," he said.

But what was particularly frustrating was that apart from the theft of the keys for the van, all other crimes had been made possible because of insecure doors, with every one of the vehicles parked in Gargrave insecure.

"From these vehicles mobile devices amounting to thousands of pounds were stolen along with some keys which will cause the losers significant expense to deal with.

We repeatedly ask people to secure their belongings, lock their doors and windows but the message and consequences appear to not be understood by all," said Ins Crocker.

"Craven remains one of the safest districts in the safest county in England but it will not keep that accolade without the help and vigilance of its residents. "

Police patrols will be increased in Gargrave following the thefts as it is believed thieves may well return in search of rich pickings.

"We will be increasing patrols in Gargrave and I will also be asking my officers to wake up people if they find insecure vehicles. So people can blame me if their sleep is disturbed - or maybe people should lock their cars, and we can all sleep better," said Ins Crocker.

To avoid having valuables stolen, police say they should always be removed from vehicles, along with keys, access fobs and ID cards, which can be used to access property.

Insurance companies are unlikely to pay out on insecure vehicles - so check the paperwork.

Owners of highly desirable Landrover Defenders should buy a secondary security device, such as a wheel lock.

"We are losing at least one Landrover per week at the moment, so anyone who has one or knows someone who has one, a wheel lock might be a good early Christmas present."

In addition, active tracking and security programmes on mobile devices are a good thing, but should never be left inside your vehicle, said Ins Crocker.

The result of insecure vehicles and rising crime was an increase in insurance premiums for everyone, he warned.

"The draw backs to this rise in crime are that we are all likely to see increases in our insurance premiums as insurance companies take notice of recorded crime figures as well as claims. We need everyone to help make Craven safer cost free by using the existing locks on their cars and homes."