Police are increasing patrols in a community area in Marlow after a manager discovered a footprint on a shop window and another suffered a break-in last week.

James Payne, the manager of Elite HNW, a watch shop in Liston Court, was out for a drink with friends on Monday night (April 8) when he got a notification that the burglar alarm at the Beaconsfield company’s Marlow branch was going off.

The store doesn’t have any front-facing cameras so James couldn’t check what had happened until the following morning when all that remained of anything having taken place was a footprint in the shopfront glass.

Fellow Liston Court business Your Story Bridal Boutique had its window smashed on April 1 – something James believes could be connected to the footprint incident.

The “nightmarish” ordeal of managing consequent enquiries has led to Thames Valley Police’s Marlow Neighbourhood Team upping patrols in the area, something a spokesperson said was linked to anti-social behaviour reports.

Residents suggested last month that benches had been removed from the recently-regenerated Liston Court Gardens because “young people” were gathering on them early in the morning and “making a lot of noise”.

Both James and an employee at The Flower Studio, 4 Liston Court, verified these claims, with the Elite HNW manager sharing his belief that youngsters had been kicking footballs at the shopfronts to “test the strength of the glass”.

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Sorbon Estates, the property developer that owns units in Liston Court, did not confirm or deny the reasons for the benches’ removal but said they had been “making improvements” to the area to ensure it remained “a welcoming and inviting environment”.

Speaking to the Free Press in February, Marlow local Tina Avery said she thought it was a “real shame” that the benches had disappeared after they helping to create “a great area for people to have a picnic or enjoy the green space (from) during the day”.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “The Marlow Neighbourhood Team has been responding to reports of anti-social behaviour in the newly refurbished Liston Court Gardens area.

“Working with the estate management team and Marlow Town Council, enquiries are ongoing and patrolling has been increased.”

Anyone with information about anti-social behaviour in the area can make a report by calling 101 and quoting reference number 43240152644.