PUBLICANS are being told to be on their guard after a spate of thefts over the weekend.

Three pubs were targeted and, although police say there is nothing to link the crimes other than the fact they were at licensed premises, they are warning that publicans should stay vigilant.

In the first, on Friday, two plasma TV screens valued at £6,000 were taken from the Vauxhall Inn, Astwood Road, between midnight and 9.30am.

Landlady Maxine Bosdyk said she had discovered the burglary on Friday morning and that thieves had also made off with a bottle of spirits, three vases and a small amount of cash.

The following day, £1,000 in £20, £10 and £5 notes was taken from the upstairs living area of the Pheasant Inn, Welland, between 10.50am and 11.30pm.

Landlady Carolyn Stewart said whoever had broken in had come in through the back gate, and into the pub.

"The bar was open, there were people in it - it's just really creepy," she said.

She said they did not have CCTV but even if they did it would not have helped, because the burglary had happened in the private area of the pub.

And at the Robin Hood, Castlemorton, £126 in cash, some jewellery, a wallet and credit card were taken from a caravan behind the pub on Saturday.

Owner Ron Biddle said the pub's chef lived in the caravan, and was out between 9.30am and 2.30pm, which was when the theft took place.

Chef Nigel Thacker, aged 41, said he discovered the burglary when he returned to his caravan, in an enclosed garden, to pick up his wages.

"I have not slept for three days. Every time you hear a bang or a clunk you wonder what it is," he said. "It feels like you have been violated, they have rooted through everything.

"I have lived here for 14 months, nothing like this has happened before. For 14 months the door has not been locked, we have been fine."

A police spokesman said the pubs seem to have been deliberately targeted and advised publicans to look at their security arrangements to help prevent further offences.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious at any of the addresses should contact Worcestershire police on 08457 444888.