Sheds and garages have been broken into in a number of villages over three days.

A lawn tractor, chainsaws and rotavator worth £7,500 in tools after thieves used a crowbar to remove the hinges of a brick shed at Gordon Connett’s home in Woodham Mortimer overnight last Monday.

He said thieves had stolen the same items 11 months ago, from a wooden shed.

Mr Connett had the brick lock-up built to try and keep the replacements safer.

Also last Monday, a generator worth £200 was taken from a garage in Braxted Road, Tiptree, a red Mountfield lawnmower and a jerry can of petrol worth £2,305 were taken from another garage in the same road, and tools worth £250 were stolen from a workshop in Maldon Road, Woodham Mortimer, on the same day.

A green Bosch power saw and a green Bosch cordless drill, worth £200 each, were stolen from a garage in Beacon Hill, Wickham Bishops, overnight on June 1.