DOZENS of motorists risked losing mobile phones, shopping and even prescription drugs to opportunist thieves, police in Ryedale have warned.

Over the last two weeks people in the district have been reminded of the need to protect their property when out and about and leaving parked vehicles.

North Yorkshire Police teamed up with the Safer Ryedale partnership to blitz Helmsley, to identify cars which had been left with items on display.

A total of 24 vehicles were spotted, and their registration numbers taken down. The drivers will receive a follow-up letter warning them of the danger. A further six were given verbal advice at the scene.

Police said by far the most numerous item left in cars was mobile phones, while other items ranged from rucksacks to full bags of groceries.

A spokesman said: "Perhaps not the most expensive but the worst was prescription drugs obviously just collected from the chemist and left on the passenger seat!

"In all cases the vehicle was so designed that if passengers couldn't or didn't want to take items with them, they could have been placed out of sight in the boot."

The motorists were blasted for their "complacency". Community safety manager Ana Richards said: "It is most frustrating to see the complacency of some motorists. At the end of the day it is down to the individual driver or passenger to get out of bad habits and take up the new one of protecting their property."

PC Terry Triffitt, Ryedale's community safety officer, added: "It isn't just the loss and expense of the item that is stolen but also the fact that the vehicle may well have to be off the road for a day or so while the broken window gets repaired.

"For instance, we saw a BMW with an expensive-looking mobile phone sat in its cradle on the dashboard. I dread to think how much the total bill for replacement phone and window would have been had the opportunist thief taken his chance."

Shoppers are also being warned of the dangers of complacency, with police in the Co-op shop in Pickering warning customers on Thursday to keep their bags zipped up and their wallets out of sight. More than 80 customers were spoken to on the day.

PC Triffitt added: "Just by remembering to take a few precautions with your personal belongings when either leaving them in your vehicle or when carrying them, you can make life a lot less easy for would be thieves.

"Items on display can prove to be too much of a temptation for some so I would urge people to remember to take a few simple, positive steps to ensure their property remains in their possession."