A man has warned residents in a town to 'be vigilant' after an attempted car break-in during the late afternoon.

Michael Chalk, who lives on Cowslip Crescent in Carlton Colville, caught a glimpse of a person on his house camera on Monday, January 18 at 16.50 attempting to enter his car boot.

"When looking at the photos captured on the house camera, it looks like the man comes towards the car, attempts the boot and then just disappears.

"The person seems to have done something to the car, it's just hard to tell what has been done," Mr Chalk said.

Mr Chalk said the area of Carlton Colville is generally safe and was more shocked about the time of day the attempted break-in took place.

East Anglian Daily Times: The attempted break-in happened during the late afternoon.The attempted break-in happened during the late afternoon. (Image: Submitted)

He said: "The time of day it happened is really strange to me.

"My house camera pings when it senses a motion outside.

"It was actually my son who spotted the person because he has the house camera on his phone.

"When he told me, I only caught a quick glimpse of the person.

"This is a nice little area to live in. There have been people on social media complaining about similar things happening to cars in the area though."

Despite nothing being taken from the car, Mr Chalk warned residents in the area to be wary of further break-in attempts.

"Keep your cars safe and just remain vigilant because something is going on in the area."

Suffolk Police issue the following advice for victims of car crime:

  • Remove all valuables and take them with you.
  • Remove portable Sat Navs and holders from the windscreen and wipe the residue circle from the screen as this could indicate you have hidden the unit in the car.
  • Keep your keys with you.
  • Fit security devices such as an electronic immobiliser, mechanical immobiliser, vehicle alarm, or locking wheel nuts.
  • Have your vehicle registration number etched onto all glass surfaces.
  • Mark valuables with your surname, door number and postcode
  • Lock all doors - close the sunroof and all windows every time you leave your car
  • Use your garage and always lock it as well as your car. If you do not have a garage, try to park in a well-lit place.