BRITS are being warned of the latest bizarre "marks" burglars use to highlight a property before a break-in.

Home security expert Elizabeth Johns told how kidney beans are being poured over doorsteps at night to find out whether the occupants are on holiday.

If the beans are cleaned up by perplexed residents in the morning, their hunch is wrong and you're home.

But should the strange mark remain untouched, burglars see your house as a worthy target.

Elizabeth told the Sun: "It seems ridiculous, but we heard a while back that people are putting kidney beans on the front of people's doors.

"Obviously, if you're in you'd clean them up.

"But if you're away then if the tin of kidney beans was still there then that suggests that you're away.

"This was happening in our local community in Manchester."

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Elizabeth urges neighbours to look out for kidney beans left on nearby doorsteps – and to clean them up if spotted.

"One of the things they're trying to establish is if there's actually anybody in the house, because that makes it a much more desirable target."

She also said homeowners should tell a trusted neighbour or nearby relative when they are away to keep an eye on the house.

It has previously been reported that would-be thieves leave strips of sellotape over front door keyholes.

If the tape is still there a day or so later, then thieves or squatters can reasonably assume that the door hasn't been used and the owner is away – making the home ripe for the plunder.

Homeowners across the whole of the UK were warned to be vigilant and remove any tape immediately if their own homes are targeted.

Stones piled near doorways and stickers slapped on wheelie bins are also secret signs that could be an indication that you're being targeted by a burglar.

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