More than 50 items have been stolen from cars throughout March.

Between March 1 and March 23 there were 29 thefts from unlocked cars in St Albans, nine in Harpenden and 24 in London Colney. The thieves typically stole loose change, mobile phones and iPods.

Between 10pm on March 14 and 6am the following day a silver pocket watch was stolen from an unlocked Nissan Qashqai parked in Paxton Road, St Albans.

A brief case and laptop were stolen from a white Mercedes-Benz parked in Watsons Walk, St Albans, between 7.30pm on March 22 and 6.50am on March 23.

Power tools were stolen from a red van parked in Nicholls Close in Redbourn between 1.50pm and 1.55pm on March 3.

Between March 19 and March 20 sunglasses and change were stolen from a grey BMW X5 parked in Strawberry Crescent, in London Colney.

St Albans Acting Detective Inspector John Harlock said: "There is a group of car thieves currently operating in St Albans, who are specifically targeting insecure vehicles, so if you don’t want to lose your possessions – or your car – simply lock your vehicle.

“These types of crimes are often opportunistic and thieves will try car doors to see if they are open and move on if they find it locked.

"However, if you leave something valuable on view they may take the trouble to break into the car, meaning you not only lose the item but may have a hefty repair bill as well. Save yourself the hassle of having to replace your personal possessions and help keep the St Albans district a safer place to be.”

Anyone who has any information on these thefts should call Hertfordshire Constabulary on 101.