RESIDENTS are patrolling the streets after their villages were targeted by raiders.

Traders, farmers and businesses near Tiptree and Mersea have bandied together after 16 break-ins in the past two months.

The burglars have made off with thousands of pounds of goods, including trade tools, quad bikes and farm materials.

Residents have hit out at Essex Police claiming they are not doing enough and have set up their own patrol group in a bid to catch the crooks.

Anthony Harrington, whose parents’ outbuildings in Salcott were hit, said: “We woke up in the morning and everything was gone.

“Three other places on our road were hit on the same weekend.

“Altogether there have been 16 burglaries, five fuel thefts and six attempted burglaries within a five-mile radius.

“The problem is, these people know this area is not patrolled and there is no police station any more.

“I know the police have horrendous workloads but why do we have to suffer?

“A group of us are now looking to patrol the streets ourselves.”

Tiptree Police station was closed in 2010 as Essex Police faced funding cuts, with residents saying they never see patrols.

Businesses and houses have been hit in Tolleshunt Major, Tolleshunt D’arcy, Tollesbury and Tolleshunt Knights.

Residents are putting up their own CCTV cameras, new security systems and installing tracking devices on their vehicles in an effort to catch the crooks.

Mr Harrington, 38, said: “If we see anybody, there’s no point in calling the police because they won’t come out.

We will confront them ourselves.

“Our outbuildings were broken into four weeks ago and the police are only coming out this weekend to take witness statements.

“We can’t believe none of these crimes have been in the paper already.

“People need to know about it, otherwise howcan they protect themselves?”

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: “Essex Police understands the needs of rural communities and would advise residents to continue to work with us by reporting crime on 101, or in an emergency 999.

“If anyone is not satisfied with the quality of the service they receive from Essex Police they can make a complaint online or at a police station.”

The group wants to hear from anyone from its area who has suffered a crime.

Email neighbourhood.burglaries@gmail.com

Essex Police did not disclose details of the crimes to the Gazette at the time, so the paper was not able to alert the public.