BURGLARIES at sheds and garages in the Devizes area have soared by 42 per cent in the last year, largely due to drug addiction, Devizes police inspector Pete Bowerbank claimed last week.

Insp Bowerbank, addressing last week's meeting of Erlestoke parish council, said: "The offences were mainly committed in Devizes itself and we suspect hard-core drug users are to blame. The easiest way to fund a heroin habit is to break into these outbuildings and steal high-value lawnmowers and other power tools.

"Sheds and garages also tend to be neglected as far as security is concerned."

In most other areas, however, crime fell, as the total rise in the Devizes area amounted to three crimes in 1,200, a rise of just 0.04 per cent.

This compares favourably with rises of 2.1 per cent in the rest of Salisbury division and 6.4 per cent in the county.

Violent crime fell by 17 per cent, from 160 cases to 135. Vehicle crime fell by 27 per cent, from 141 to 104 in the last year, mainly due to a smaller number of visitors at beauty spots because of foot and mouth disease.

The number of burglaries from homes fell from 84 to 80, but incidents of criminal damage rose from 268 to 270.

In Erlestoke itself, the number of reported crimes fell from 27 to 11. This includes offences committed at the prison itself, where staff have cracked down on drug smuggling.

One of the crimes included in these figures was the theft of golf clubs from Erlestoke Sands Golf Club.