RESIDENTS in Burnley and Padiham are being urged to report suspicious chalk marks on their homes to police.

Officers have taken to Facebook to issue the warning after it is thought the marks are being used to identify houses worth targeting by thieves.

The issues was raised on Facebook by police after residents shared their concerns.

Officers said the houses that had been marked contained expensive bikes that were in the garages.

The Facebook post has been shared more than 2,800 times and liked almost 200 times.

In a statement on the social networking site, officers said: “We are concerned that the marks are put there to identify properties to be targeted later.

“If you notice any chalk marks, please let us know.

“There may be other similar things happening which may not involve bikes so please, if you do see chalk marks, don’t ignore them.

“If you have a mobile phone with a camera we would really appreciate it if you could take a photo of the mark before washing it off. If you cannot, please do not worry, just let us know what it looks like and whereabouts it was.”

Residents raised concerns that thieves looking to steal valuable dogs were also using the same tactics.

One man said: “My girlfriend had a blue arrow outside her house as she got a dog and, that night, three men tried to get in.

“They were there 20 minutes trying to get in and the dog was going mad.

“The next-door neighbour came out to see what was going on and told them police were coming, but they still tried to get in.”

Anybody with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or call the Burnley and Padiham neighbourhood policing team on 01282 472107, e-mail information or photographs to burnley.npt@lan cashire.pnn.police.uk