SECURITY shy Skipton residents are allowing themselves to become easy prey for burglars.

Between Sunday and Tuesday nine properties were broken into - and police say four of the burglaries could easily have been prevented.

Officers are now touring the town, putting warning notices through open windows.

Community safety officer Wayne Smith said some simple security measures could have stopped the burglars.

He added that often people were complacent about security and brushed aside fears on the grounds that "crime only happened to other people".

"Perhaps they should take heed when a burglary occurs in their community and take steps to reduce the risk of it happening to them," said Mr Smith.

In fact, the Craven Crime Reduction Partnership is in the process of buying moveable warning signs, which could be erected on streets where a burglary had occurred to alert local residents.

Every day Anne Leach, co-ordinator at Victim Support Craven, sees the guilt that adults suffer, knowing they could have done more to protect their families.

She said that after a burglary adults found it hard to live with feelings of guilt and inadequacy. They knew they had ignored advice about protecting their homes.

They had to watch their children having nightmares, being frightened of being alone and being scared of coming into an empty house.

Mrs Leach said it was slightly different for elderly burglary victims who feared it might happen again and that they could get hurt. Often they did not report the incident because they did not want people to think they were not capable of living alone.

"Nearly every burglary victim we get can do something else to improve their security measures," said Mrs Leach.

This week's burglary tally included one at a house on Castle Street, where burglars walked through an unlocked door and helped themselves to two handbags while the residents were upstairs.

Handbags also went from homes in Queen Street and Moor Crescent, after the offenders reached through open windows.

And in a second burglary in Moor Crescent, thieves stole a set of keys through a cat flap.

Intruders broke into a house on Westmoreland Street by prising open the rear door. They stole two mobile phones and two handbags.

In George Street, burglars smashed open a back door before searching the premises. Also targeted were two homes on Consort Street and one on Regent Drive and the haul included handbags, clothing and cash.

Burglars broke into a house in Western Road, Skipton, and escaped with £400 of hi-fi equipment including a Technics amplifier and a Technics cassette deck, cash and bank cards.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Skipton Police on 01756 793377, or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.