Police have warned Maldon and South Woodham residents to take extra security measures over the Christmas period.
They urged people going away over Christmas to remember to shut windows and doors and set burglar alarms correctly.
Maldon and South Woodham crime prevention officer Ray Stannard said: "If people are going away, remember to get neighbours to keep an eye on their properties and leave a contact number.
"Also, if they are going away and they have burglar alarms, they must remember not to switch the power off as the battery back-up is only meant to cover a power cut."
Police are also warning businesses and shops to check their alarms after Maldon police reported that about 40 had been activated in the Maldon area in the past week.
Some incidents could have been caused by high winds, but Sgt Richard Miller, of Maldon police, said: "In an area like this, if you get that number of alarms, it ties up the limited resources unnecessarily."
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article