A mum has warned of a sneaky trick used by crooks to identify a burglary target.
Maria Celino-Straker woke up to find a disgusting mess of kidney beans on her doorstep in the north-east of England earlier this week.
After her speaking to a relative, who is an ex-police officer, she discovered the mess was a sign of something more sinister, reports the Manchester Evening News.
She now believes the kidney beans were used by potential burglars wanting to pinpoint if people were at home.
"Well I woke up to this left on our doorstep this morning," she wrote in a Facebook post. "Apparently this is a known trick of burglars. If not cleaned up in a couple of days they know you are not home and in they go.
"Thankfully I'm home and cleaned this up, whoever it was done this about 1am this morning. Look out for your neighbours especially those who are on holiday."
The post has since been shared over 2,000 times by other social media users keen to warn friends and neighbours.
Maria says she was told by her relative that the trick is a well-known method used by burglars across the country.
She added: "It's not just beans. They use anything that you would have to clean up and that is not going to wash away with a bit of rain."
The mum wants to raise awareness so that other residents can look out for their elderly neighbours, or those on holiday.
She stressed: "I posted about it because I wanted to warn people and get them to look out for each other. If it helps one person it was worth it."
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