Hounslow's Asian families have been warned to stay alert following a sharp rise in the theft of jewellery from homes across the borough.

Burglars have plundered treasured bracelets, pendants and bangles worth thousands of pounds from homes across Hounslow during the last few weeks.

Many of the stolen pieces were wedding presents or precious heirlooms handed down from generation to generation.

Detective Sergeant Sian Thomas, of Brentford's Burglary & Robbery Squad, said such thefts had always been an issue in Feltham but the problem had recently spread to Cranford and Heston.

"There have been about six similar burglaries since the beginning of September, usually occurring between early afternoon and about 9pm," she added. "It's not clear whether these incidents are down to one person or whether they're opportunistic crimes because people have been leaving their windows open during the recent good weather.

"Some of the items stolen are hand made and impossible to replace, while family jewellery often has great sentimental value which money cannot buy."

DS Thomas advised families to store valuable jewellery in a safety deposit box at a bank or fit a safe at home.  They should also keep all doors and windows locked and consider installing a monitored alarm system to alert police in case of a break-in.