Identity thieves are trying to get hold of private letters belonging to residents in Tunbridge Wells.

Kent Police have observed a spike in crime in recent months, with criminals taking letters from external mailboxes at flats and houses.

The offenders are targeting items such as bank statements to build a picture of the victim’s financial situation, then attempt to contact the victim’s bank to try and obtain new PIN codes and cards.

In August David Donkor, of Edmonton in North London, was jailed for two years and three months for sealing the letter box of a home in Albion Road.

This was to divert banking information into a temporary container which he then removed.

In Sevenoaks a man has recently been charged with fraud and will appear before court next month.

Officers are now asking residents to be aware of this type of crime, and take steps to thwart offenders.

PC Robert Harrison from Kent Police said: "We don’t want people to become victims of fraud so I would encourage residents to check their mailboxes, and if it is possible to fish letters out of it then consider taking steps to prevent this.

"Residents should also regularly check that they are receiving their bank statements, and that there are no suspicious transactions on the statement.

"A man was recently imprisoned in relation to this type of fraud and we would encourage anyone who sees anything suspicious or unusual to report it to us."