Locals say an alleyway between gardens and railway tracks is being used by burglars to gain access to properties at night, reports Leah Renz

Residents living near Oakwood Station fear their homes are being targeted by burglars using an alleyway along the Piccadilly Line tracks – after several break-ins since the start of the year.

Lakenheath, Prince George Avenue and Sheringham Avenue run parallel to the tracks around Oakwood Station and, according to residents, have suffered from a spike in burglaries over the past two months.

One Lakenheath resident, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to the Dispatch about his experience. On Saturday, 28th January at 7.30pm, an intruder entered his house through a rear bedroom window, triggering an alarm system, and stole several valuables.

Mud tracks left on the neighbour’s extension roof suggested the burglar used the muddy alleyway behind the house and climbed onto the roof to access the bedroom window.

Police investigated the burglary but closed the case only the next day, telling the homeowner that “we don’t have any new avenues, so we are closing the case”.

The resident said that he had been trying to explain to the police that there was a link between recent burglaries in the area.

“Everyone is very scared,” he told the Dispatch.

A neighbour, also living in Lakenheath, said he had increased his home security.

He explained: “We’ve made sure that our cameras are working and we turn on alarms even when leaving the house for a short time.”

The Metropolitan Police’s monthly crime database shows that in January alone there were 15 residential burglaries across the Oakwood and Southgate neighbourhood watch area, the highest monthly figure since database records began four years ago.

The real number is likely higher, however, as residents told the Dispatch of two further burglaries in Lakenheath which were not reported to police.

The targeting of homes which back on to the Piccadilly Line tracks continued into February, with two attempted break-ins on Tuesday 10th. According to a local policing update via the Met Engage online platform, the suspects gained access to the back garden by scaling a fence at the back of the house.

A further two burglaries also occurred in the last week of February on the same stretch of road.

The spate of burglaries near Oakwood Station has coincided with the beginning of new works on the trackside area by Transport for London (TfL), including upgrades to the fence separating the track from residential homes and cutting back shrubbery.

The upgrades to the fence include making it taller and adding barbed wire.

At first Lakenheath residents welcomed the new fencing, but there are fears the work may have highlighted the fact there is an alleyway, which had previously been better concealed. The path is used by contractors.

Residents have shared photos with the Dispatch of abandoned ladders along the alleyway, which may have been used to scale the fence and gain access to residential gardens.

Several residents have emailed TfL, Oakwood Station staff and British Transport Police, calling for action to remove the ladders.

In one email to residents seen by the Dispatch, a TfL officer wrote: “We are aware of the recent burglaries along this stretch.

“Our team attended the site twice last week to repair damaged barbed wire and replace missing S1 padlocks on the access gates.

“The ladders found on the embankment were not left by our contractors.

“Our team believes they were hidden by trespassers to facilitate access to neighbouring gardens.

“Five sets of ladders were removed during last week’s site visit, and the British Transport Police have been informed.”

Most ladders have now been cleared from the area, but one has remained.

Invited to comment, a TfL spokesperson said: “The boundary fence we recently installed in this area is a higher-quality, more secure replacement for the previous fence.

“As a result of the recent incidents in this area, we are conducting additional inspections to ensure that all our access gates remain fully secure.”

TfL did not respond to questions about how often these inspections were taking place.

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