Renfrewshire homes targeted in spate of break-ins

Five masked men have forced their way into a Renfrewshire home and stolen a large quantity of jewellery in a spate of break-ins.

Three separate incidents were reported yesterday evening in Linwood, Renfrew and Elderslie. A substantial quantity of jewellery and a mid-four figure sum of cash were taken in one raid.

The owners were home at the time but were uninjured.

The owners of the property were at home during this time and, while uninjured, were left extremely shaken by the experience.

The men were all dressed in dark clothing and had covered their faces. They are described as being white and speaking with Scottish accents.

A further property on Patrickbank View in Elderslie was broken into between 4.20pm and 9.15pm on Tuesday and a further item of jewellery was stolen from within. The property was unoccupied at the time.

An attempt was also made to force entry to a property at Stirling Gate in Linwood around 6.50pm the same evening. Entry was not gained and nothing was stolen.

Detective Inspector Robert Bowie said: "There are similarities between each of these incidents and we believe them to be linked.

"The incident in Renfrew is particularly shocking with the householders subjected to an extended ordeal in their own home while those responsible threatened and stolen from them.

"Our enquiries into all of these incidents are ongoing and I would urge anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity or vehicles operating in the area to come forward as soon as possible.

"We would also be interesting in speaking to anyone who was driving in any of these locations during Tuesday evening and may have dashcam footage which could assist our investigation."

Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting 3223 for the incident in Linwood, 3628 for Renfrew or 3813 for Elderslie. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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