There were 31 burglaries in the Sevenoaks area in September

Figures from Kent Police showed there were 31 burglaries in the town and its surrounding villages in September.

In June, July and August there were an average of 14 burglaries per month.

Police said they had identified several reasons for the increase, including a spate of crimes where car keys were taken from houses and cars then stolen.

'Think carefully'

Det Insp Bert Short said: "Our aim is to prevent criminals from operating in Sevenoaks and by receiving information from people we can build a better picture of what unexpected vehicles or people are in an area.

"A number of the crimes are where car keys have been taken and the cars subsequently stolen.

"I would remind people to think very carefully about the security of their car keys."