KENDAL residents are being urged to lock their windows and doors after a series of suspicious incidents in the town.

Homes on the Sandylands estate are apparently being targeted after a woman told police on Monday that her front door handle had been tried.

The report comes after a property in Peat Lane was broken into via its bathroom window on November 11.

Police said two local youths had been arrested in connection with the incident.

A spokeswoman for Cumbria Police said: “We always advise people to lock their property, even if they’re at home.

“If you’re in a different part of the house, you might not hear people sneaking in through unlocked doors.”

Meanwhile, police have also been alerted to people who claim to be homeless knocking on doors in the Hayclose Road area of Kendal.

Reports have been made regarding an Eastern European gentleman going house-to-house trying to sell paintings.

The spokeswoman added: “He was checked by officers and made his way back to Lancaster.”

She advised any householders with concerns to contact Action Fraud on 0300-123-2040.