Scooter and moped owners have been advised to make sure they secure their vehicles after a spate of thefts.

This week police received reports of two Honda mopeds being taken from homes in Green Lane, Worcester Park, and a Piaggio scooter being taken from a house in Washington Road, also Worcester Park.

A spokesman for Sutton police explained that in all three cases the bikes were wheeled away from the owners' drives and out of sight before the thieves tried to bypass their immobiliser systems.

They failed in each attempted theft and the bikes were recovered intact but police have warned owners that they need to make sure their scooters cannot be wheeled away.

Inspector Richard Hall said: "Motorcycles and scooters can be an easy target for thieves if they are not secured as they can be wheeled away or bundled into a van in seconds.

"The more security you can put around your bike, the less attractive it will be to thieves."

Insp Hall said bike owners should make sure they  lock their vehicle and use the steering lock, buy an immobiliser, alarm and a secondary lock like a D-lock or chain, lock the bike to a ground anchor that cannot be moved, part it in a well-lit area and security mark it.

For more crime prevention information, you can contact police on 101. If you know who is responsible for the thefts in Worcester Park, you can call police or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.