Motorists have been warned not to leave valuables on view in their cars after a series of break-ins at a city centre car park.

Police said that between July 17 and this week there had been 10 offences at the Westgate Centre car park in Oxford, which has 24-hour security.

Judith Taylor, Oxford police's crime reduction manager, said most offences had happened between 3pm and 6pm.

Items left on seats, such as laptop computers, briefcases, CD players and handbags, were temptations to thieves, she said.

She added: "It's irresponsible for people to leave things on view. If they didn't leave them on view there wouldn't be a problem. If people do have such items, at the very least they should be leaving them in the boot.

"They should do so before they go to the car park - otherwise people could see them putting things in the boot.

"As long as they leave their car clear, the incentive to take things isn't there. Once somebody's vehicle has been broken into, it affects their insurance."

She added that because people often walked through the open-air section of the Westgate car park, which is overlooked from Oxpens Road, it was less attractive to thieves.

Bob Peedell, Oxford City Council's car parks administration manager, said car break-ins had been cut by 98 per cent at the Westgate Centre, along with the Seacourt, Redbridge and Peartree park-and-ride sites, in the past five years.

He said: "The incidents at Westgate are a blip, but not a blip which we want to see.

"It's important to get the message out to people that they can help themselves and help us by removing valuables and other possessions from their cars.

"We work in partnership with the police and county council, but we need the public to be part of that partnership to help us."

The number of car thefts and break-ins in Oxford has more than halved since 1999.

Anyone with information about car crime should call Oxford police on 08458 505505.