POLICE are appealing for witnesses after three burglaries in Ledbury and a fourth one in nearly Storridge on the same afternoon.

The three burglaries in Ledbury all took place in the Deer Park area between 4pm and 6pm on Saturday, March 18.

They took place in Oaklands Drive, Spring Grove and Biddulph Way, and in each case the offenders have approached the rear of the house via side gates and smashed the glass in the back doors to get inside.

Once inside, the intruders have searched the houses and stolen cash and jewellery.

Just before 4pm a man was seen in Spring Close and asked a member of the public which was the way out. The member of public thought the comment odd as the cul-de-sac is small and the routes in and out are obvious.

The man is described as white, aged in his 30s, with dark hair and wearing a nondescript green parka-style jacket. He spoke English with no noticeable accent.

Police want to hear from anyone who saw a man matching this description in the area on Saturday.

DC Laurence James said: "It is not known at this stage which order the burglaries have taken place but all appear to be linked and probably the same offender.

There was a fourth house burglary the same day in Storridge, Malvern between 5pm and 5.30pm. The offender has approached a detached bungalow and forced the front window to get in, setting off the alarm.

A witness saw a man climbing out of the bungalow and chased him across the garden towards the A4103 Hereford-Worcester road.

Again, police are appealing for anyone who may have seen a man running along the A4103 in the Storridge area or saw any vehicles parked nearby.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101. The incident numbers are 0639s/180317, 0657s/180317 and 0604s/180317 (Ledbury) and 0627s/180317 (Storridge).

Between September 2015 and autumn 2016, more than 20 linked raids were carried out at properties in Colwall and Ledbury. The police investigation into the crimes resulted in several convictions.