AN INVESTIGATION into a series of burglaries has been extended into Basingstoke.

Police have previously been appealing for information on burglaries which took place in Stoney Cross and Nursling but have now extended their enquiries to Basingstoke and Totton.

The Western Investigation team has linked four burglaries which occurred between February 16 and February 19 and stretch across the county.

The incidents being investigated include on Friday 16 February at 4.25am, three men were reported to have forced entry through the rear door of a service shop at Stoney Cross services on the westbound A31.

Then on Monday, 19 February at 2am, three men were seen by a man who lived nearby to be trying to break into the Sainsbury’s petrol station shop in Wallop Drive, Hatch Warren. The man went to prevent the crime, but the men turned on him, stole his mobile phone and assaulted him with crowbar.

Later that morning, at 3.40am, three men were reported to have raided the Asda petrol station kiosk in Maynard Road in Totton.

Then, shortly before 6am staff at a Co-op store were opening up the shop in Nursling Street, Nursling, when four men who had their faces covered entered the store and threatened the staff members with crowbars. No-one was hurt, but the men left the store with around £5,000 in cash and £12,000 worth of cigarettes.

An appeal is being made by officers to find the CCTV hard drives which were also stolen from the scenes in Stoney Cross and Nursling.

Detective sergeant Anton Gaita said: “This is an attempt to remove and destroy evidence, but there is still opportunity for us to find it.

“I’m appealing to anyone who lives or works near these premises to look out for any discarded electrical items. CCTV hard drives look like any other computer hard drive, so I would urge anyone who sees something like this, dumped somewhere unusual, to get in contact with us.”

Anyone with any information on any of the incidents should call the police on 101 and quote 44180061633 for Stoney Cross, 44180065406 for Hatch Warren, 44180065404 for Totton and 44180065463 for Nursling.