Six men have been arrested and three charged in connection with a spike in burglaries.

Seventy six homes in the St Albans district have been targeted since the beginning of October; an increase of 34 per cent compared to the 50 burglaries in the same period last year.

On Wednesday (18) 26 year old Beqa Esen, of no fixed address, was arrested in Radlett on suspicion of going equipped to commit burglary and later charged.

He was detained and appeared at Hatfield Remand Court on Saturday (21). He was remanded to custody and will appear at St Albans Magistrates on Monday (30).

Five men were also arrested at Luton Airport on Tuesday (23) on suspicion of burglary following information received from a member of the public.

The men arrested include Daniel Ward, aged 31, of Oak Avenue, South Shields, who was charged with burglary dwelling and fraud by false representation. He is due to appear at Hatfield remand court today (Wednesday).

David Adams, aged 39 and of Canterbury Street, South Shields, was also charged with burglary dwelling. He was released on police bail and is next due to appear at St Albans magistrates court on 11 December.

A 35 year old man from St Albans, a 26 year old from South Shields, and a 31 year old from South Shields were released and no further action will be taken.

In most cases the burglars have gained access to properties through gates to back gardens at the side of homes that have been left unlocked.

Access has also been gained through rear or side doors and windows that haven’t been double locked.

Det Insp Peter Frost from the St Albans Police Station is leading the investigation. He said: “The offences are still on-going at a higher rate than we would expect them to be for this time of year and we will not relent until we put a stop to them. Heavy police resources are still being directed to deal with the situation.

“Our message to residents is still the same: To help us in the fight against this burglary spike please ensure homes are properly secure through taking simple precautions such as securing gates, fully locking doors and considering the further crime prevention tips.”

He went on to say that police are increasing their high visibility patrols across the district and using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to track and put a stop to criminals crossing borders.

Police officers and volunteers will also be at St Albans market on Wednesdays and Saturdays until Christmas to sign people to the Neighbourhood Watch and OWL schemes.