A shotgun and cash were amongst the items stolen in three robberies in Ballylinan over the weekend.
The three burglaries occurred on Saturday afternoon at houses around Ballintubbert in Ballylinan which were unoccupied at the time.
Gardai believe a car was used by individuals during the course of the robberies and are looking for anyone who noticed anything unusual or suspicious in the area on Saturday to contact them.
In the first break-in, entry was gained by forcing a rear window of a vacant house. The incident is believed to have happened between 11.30 am and 9 pm, during which a shotgun was stolen from the house.
At a second house, a sensor/alarm was broken off the side of the house, which was then ransacked. The owners are currently identifying what items are missing from the house.
In the third incident in the area, entry was again gained through a rear window which was forced open. A quantity of cash was taken from the house in the robbery which is believed to have occurred between 2 and 9 pm. This house was also ransacked.
Gardai have appealed to anyone who may have noticed anything out of the ordinary on Saturday afternoon around that area to contact them at Portlaoise Garda Station – 057 86 74100.
A garda spokesperson reminded homeowners to be vigilant, stressing that an alarm is a major deterrent to burglars. “Often people don’t set their alarms when they leave the house, thinking it won’t happen to them,” the spokesperson said.
In a separate incident a house at Pine Villas in Portarlington was broken into between February 25 and March 4, while the occupants were away. They returned to find the house ransacked. A side window of the house had been forced. Again, if anyone noticed anything suspcious in the area, they are asked to contact gardai.
