Burnham-On-Sea town councillors have expressed concern about a rise in crime in the town over the last couple of months.
A series of house break-ins and criminal damage in Burnham and Highbridge have alarmed residents, according to councillors at their latest meeting.
“I would like to express some concern about the latest figures,” said Cllr Andy Brewer – who himself is a victim of burglary.
“In August 2016, there were 13 cases of criminal damage and seven cases of dwelling burglaries.”
“Comparing the figures, in July 2016 there were four burglaries and in August 2015 there were only two, so there has been a significant increase.”
“Having been a victim of that, I know that it’s extremely unpleasant and I think this is a matter of concern.”
He added: “I am also disappointed in the number of anti-social behaviour calls. There were 43 in August – that’s more than one a day – and there appears to be no change from last year.”
“We are very fortunate to have relatively low crime in Burnham and Highbridge, but this is still a matter of concern.”
Cllrs Bill Hancock and Paul Young agreed about the concerns at the meeting, and asked the Town Clerk to write to the Police to ask for more to be done.
The comments come after several high-profile criminal cases in recent weeks following two ram raids in Burnham-On-Sea High Street – one at the Laptop Shop in August and another at Superdrug last week.
Burnham-On-Sea.com also recently reported on residents’ concerns about late night joy-riding in the town, which prompted a response from the police about stepping up patrols.
