POLICE in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire are jointly appealing for witnesses and warning residents to be on their guard after a series of high-value burglaries over recent months.

Officers are connecting 17 different incidents including thefts from homes in Cumnor Hill, Sparsholt, Childrey, Kingston Lisle and Longcot between March and May.

Hundreds of thousand of pounds worth of jewellery and silverware have been stolen. Officers believe a lone man may be behind the crimes, but he may be working with accomplices.

A man was witnessed acting suspiciously near the site of one of the burglaries. He is white, aged 25 to 40, 5ft 9in tall, stocky build, with a round face, brown hair and wearing a brown round neck jumper.

On a separate occasion, a Ford Transit Tipper pick-up truck was seen parked outside a property that was later burgled. The van had black drop sides.

PC Steve Knight, Vale of White Horse Priority Crime Team and PC Neil Hilton of Swindon Crime Targeting Team, said: "This man is a professional thief and knows what he is looking for.

"We believe he or his team is checking properties in the lead up to these burglaries so we want to hear from the public about any suspicious people or vehicles they have seen in their villages.

"It's mostly small villages that are being targeted and we believe any strange individuals or vehicles would have been noticed by local people.

"The burglar is not violent or confrontational, but he is brazen and doesn't care about alarms or people being in the premises. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of valuables have been stolen and he must be stopped.

"Until he is caught, we would advise those residents who have valuable jewellery or silverware in the house to lock it in a safe if you have one, or hide it in secure place."

Anyone with information about these crimes are urged to contact PC Knight via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505, or PC Hilton at Wiltshire Police at 0845 408 7000.

If you do not want to speak to police and do not want to leave your name, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.