A man has appeared in court in connection with a series of burglary offences in the North East after being tracked down at the opposite end of the country.

Northumbria Police received reports of six burglaries in the Silksworth area of Sunderland and in the Heaton and Jesmond areas of Newcastle, all said to have been committed between August 23 and September 4.

Amid inquiries in the investigation, a suspect was traced to the Bournemouth area of Dorset.

He was arrested in the early hours of Monday (September 9) and was subsequently charged with six counts of burglary.

Adam Crawford, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (September 10) when he was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at Bournemouth Crown Court, next month.

(Image: Newsquest)

Inspector Ashley Hopper, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent result by our officers to ascertain these crimes were linked and to track down a suspect outside of our force area.”

Speaking of burglary in general, the inspector described it as “an invasive crime which leaves victims feeling unsafe in the comfort of their own homes”.

Insp Hopper added: “We are aware that these offences have caused concern in our communities, and I hope that these charges following an arrest will reassure residents that we are doing all we can to act on the information provided to us.”

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Anyone who sees something suspicious in their area can send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use either the live chat function, or the report forms, which are both on the force website.

For those unable to contact the force in those ways, they should call 101.

In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, the advice is always to ring 999.