Mystery surrounds the identity of a white van seen on the streets of north Shropshire.
The small white van with cameras on its roof and a message reading “mapping your area” was spotted in Whixall on Thursday, May 7.
Now in the latest sighting, at Higher Heath, near Whitchurch, the van appeared without its cameras, but still bearing the sign.
A resident who did not want to be named said: “I saw this vehicle, or one just like it, on Thursday night travelling along Heathwood Road.
“It went up to the A41 and had foreign number plates, but there were no cameras on the roof – just lots of roof racking.
“People are a bit worried because there was a break-in in Heathwood Road at about the same time the van was spotted around here.”
John Harrison, of Whixall, said the van driver “beat a hasty retreat” when he tried to talk to him.
Internet giant Google has been photographing the county’s roads for its new Google Streetview service, but said the van was nothing to do with it.
Laura Scott, Google spokeswoman, said: “We use small cars with cameras mounted on the top and a Google sticker on them, but not vans.
“We aren’t the only people who collect this information and other firms or local authorities do mapping too.”
Inspector Sarah Wag-staff, head of north Shropshire police, said: “We had a spate of crime in the Higher Heath and Whitchurch area over the weekend, but there is no direct link to this particular van.
“Officers are investigating, but if people see suspicious vehicles in their area they should report it to us – as often burglars and thieves will do a ‘reccy’ in their vehicle during daylight before returning later on to commit crime.
“People should take care to lock windows and doors and take steps to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of this type of incident.”
