LANDLORDS have been urged to be on their guard against thieves following a spate of attacks on pubs.

Police are connecting three incidents in Sudbury over the past few days.

The first happened in King Street, at about 2.30am, on Tuesday, when a man was spotted trying to force his way into a pub garage.

The man, who is understood to have white, thinning hair, was also seen trying to break into a van.

He wore jeans, trainers, a dark-coloured coat and a white, hooded top.

A second man was also spotted nearby.

Yesterday, police received two further reports of pubs being targeted.

One happened in Bridge Street, Sudbury, between 11.30pm, on Monday, and 8.30am, on Tuesday, in which raiders broke into a pub by forcing open the doors.

The other happened at a pub in North Street between 12.30am and 9am on Tuesday.

On that occasion, thieves again forced open the doors and made off with a safe, which police say was empty.

A police spokeswoman said officers were currently scouring CCTV footage closely in a bid to catch the people behind the attacks.

“We would urge landlords to be vigilant,” she said.

“All these properties were secured, which appears to have thwarted the offenders in the first incident.

“Anybody who sees suspicious people or vehicles should report them.

“We are reviewing CCTV as we believe more than one person is involved in these incidents.

“There is a strong Pubwatch scheme in the area and these types of incidents show the importance of such schemes extend beyond opening hours.”

She confirmed all three incidents have been linked.

Anybody with information about the break-ins is asked to contact Sudbury police on 01284 774100. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.