SURREY Police has set up a number of Home Alone-style ‘trap’ houses across the county to catch-out unsuspecting burglars this winter.

The so-called trap houses have been kitted out with hidden cameras and gadgets with tracking devices - though sadly are believed to be free of blowtorches, tarantulas and other elaborate booby traps.

The message from officers is: “If you target one of these houses you could end up with more than you’ve bargained for.”

It comes as part of the force’s campaign to reduce the number of burglary offences across the county which has seen an increase in recent months.

Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton said: “The emotional impact of a stranger entering your home is huge and can have a long lasting effect for any victim.

“We are not prepared to tolerate this type of offending and over the next few months we will be using a range of tactics to not only prevent burglary happening in the first place but also to catch those responsible and lock them up.

“We want to make it as difficult as possible for offenders to operate in Surrey.

“It’s important that everyone plays their part in reducing burglary and I would urge residents to think seriously about their home security.

“I really believe that people know what they should be doing when it comes to protecting their home but more often than not they don’t follow it through or become complacent and think it will never happen to them.”

In the 1990 comedy, which turned child actor Macaulay Culkin into a worldwide star, Kevin McCallister gets left behind on a family Christmas trip and ends up fending off two burglars intent on ransacking their home.

•Advice on how to keep your home safe can be obtained from a crime reduction adviser by calling 101 or visit www.surrey.police.uk

•A LONDON man has been charged with a burglary in Hindhead, following five arrests by Surrey Police.

Anthony Lancaster, 42, from Mottingham, London, was charged with a burgling a private property, on December 14,

He appeared at Staines Magistrates the following day and was remanded in custody until Thursday, January 18, when he will appear at Guildford Crown Court.

Eddie Chapman, 19, of St Michael’s Road, Woking, was charged with numerous offences in his home town – four burglaries, two attempted burglaries, two thefts of motor vehicles, one attempted theft of a motor vehicle

The teenager was also charged with various offences of driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.

Reginald Hill, 39, from Bromley, Kent, has been charged with a conspiracy to commit residential burglaries at seven different residential properties across the Home Counties.

He was remanded in custody at Staintes Magistrates Court to appear at Guildford Crown Court, on Friday, January 19.

Nathan Smithers, 42, from Staines, was charged with six burglaries, and an attempted burglary in the Chertsey area, and was remanded in custody until Tuesday, January 12, when he will appear before town magistrates.?

Liza Mullen, 36, also from Staines, was charged with failing to appear in court in relation to a number of alleged burglaries.