People living in South Oxhey are “scared to be in their own homes” after a spate of burglaries.

Hertfordshire Constabulary has confirmed there have been seven burglaries and another attempted burglary in the last two weeks and the police force has drafted in additional officers from across the county in a bid to catch the thieves.

But no one has been arrested in connection with the break-ins and last week, one burglar was chased out of a home by a man carrying an axe.

South Oxhey residents have taken to social media to express their fear over the rise in break-ins.

Shelley Scott tweeted: “Too many burglaries are happening in South Oxhey. Now people are scared to be in their own homes. How do we prevent this?”

Another person tweeted: “I am actually scared being home alone after all these burglaries in South Oxhey.”

Officers said in the majority of cases, the front or back door has been forced open and homes are being targeted during the day, when people are out.

Chief Inspector for Three Rivers, Deirdre Dent said: “I am aware that residents are concerned about the recent spate of burglaries in South Oxhey and I would like to reassure people that a great deal of work is being done to tackle this.

“The Safer Neighbourhood Team has increased their patrols and their shift pattern has been changed to ensure that we have the officers proactively patrolling at the times the offences have taken place.

“We also have officers carrying out covert, plain clothed patrols and I have called upon vehicle based police resources from other areas of the county to assist us in carrying out proactive patrols. So, whilst you may be unaware of the covert patrols, you may have noticed an increased police presence in the area.

“Each property affected has been subjected to thorough scenes of crime scrutiny and a team of detectives from the Local Crime Unit are comprehensively investigating every incident to ensure we aren’t missing any opportunities to identify the person responsible.

“A follow-up visit by the local PCSO has also been carried out to ensure the victim has the right advice about protecting their property.”

Homes have been targeted in Gosforth Lane, Hayling Road, Oxhey Drive, Heysham Drive, Oakdale Road, Hamilton Road and Prestwick Road in the last two weeks.

Electrical goods, including PlayStations, laptops and digital cameras have all been stolen during the break-ins and thieves have also been taking jewellery.

The police force also held a meeting on Saturday to encourage people to mark their goods and register them online at www.immobilise.com in case they are stolen.

Chief Inspector Dent added: “I hope people are assured that there is a great deal of work taking place to keep them safe, and it is a real team effort with the different policing teams doing their bit to help.

“This work will continue to prevent incidents and catch the people responsible; however residents have a very important part to play in this too.

“I would ask people to look out for suspicious activity. If you see anything out of the ordinary and you believe a crime may be in progress, dial 999 immediately. We’d rather it turn out to be nothing than miss an opportunity to catch an offender.

“Equally, if you have any information about who may be responsible for these crimes you are asked to report this annonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers, 0800 555 111.”

On Thursday, police in South Oxhey are holding a live chat via the Online Watch Link system, allowing people to air their concerns to officers.