To ask about late night newspaper deliveries?

[Stormyweather1]

I imagine I may get the piss taken about this but never mind.

I have just moved back to London and most nights, but not all, someone has been delivering an evening standard paper through my front door late on (after midnight). I've never seen them.

I have asked around the nearby newsagents and apparently nobody delivers in the area. I don't think you can get the standard delivered directly, there's nothing online.

I was at first a bit worried about receiving a delivery bill (I know the paper itself is free) but when I mentioned it in passing to a colleague, she started acting quite alarmed and saying that some criminals do this to ascertain whether anybody lives at the property and is it worth breaking in, by looking through the letterbox the later on to see the whether the paper has been picked up. Seems a bit of a roundabout way to do it but she seemed certain.

I've printed a 'no junk mail or papers. Thanks' sign to put up, and asked the EA to ask the previous tenants to cancel any arrangements so hopefully it will stop (also might just be a neighbour trying to be kind) but she has somewhat freaked me out!

Does anyone know whether this is a thing, either ES delivery or burglars doing this?? None of my friends do!

I'm aware I'm prob being daft but there was a random woman hanging around my doorstep (in a fenced off garden) when I got home last night from work at 6pm ish. She walked off when I got there and didn't say anything so I just feel a bit generally uneasy.

Oops meant to put this in aibu!

If they are trying t decide whether to break in on the premise that your protest is unoccupied then there probably is no reason to worry about it because they'll loose interest. If it really worries you install a motion sensor activated light to see if it deters them. Will also begelpful opening your door as it gets darker earlier.?

Thanks, the light is a really good idea. From what I understood, it was more if the place was occupied ergo potentially valuable items inside. Sorry, that wasn't v clear from my op.

Hello!

We're going to send this over to AIBU now.

Hi. I would buy a lamp and a timer and make sure you use them. In my area no one delivers evening standards. They are stacked at stations and transport hubs and people pick one up if they want a copy.

The woman hanging about is a little suss. I would also invest in a passive security light and have that fixed up above the front garden/entrance. It will only illuminate when someone approaches the front door area.

Some people also put a radio on a timer so that audible sound/chat/music can be heard if someone opens a letterbox and listens to see if anyone is home.

If you don't have a burglar alarm look into getting one installed. Recently did this and I believe it's a visual deterrent to would-be burglars.

Hope the midnight deliveries stop soon.

You can buy a WiFi video doorbell, which alerts your smartphone & sends pcitures when someone is at your door. I'm not sure they even have to ring the bell. I think it's called "ring dot com".

Thanks for moving this, and for the great suggestions. That's what I thought, KC - that it was distributed at stations etc rather than delivered. Ill have a look at WiFi doorbells online when I get in