Bears spotted in residential Burnaby neighbourhood

Mounties in a Burnaby, B.C., neighbourhood are patrolling the area after several bears were spotted feasting on trash this morning.

Police say the bears were first spottedThursday evening at about 8 p.m. PTnear the 7500 block of Craig Street, in the Cariboo Heights area near the Burnaby-New Westminster border.

Police say the black bears were rummaging through garbage cans and bags left out for pick-up. They were herded into the forest but returned early Friday morning.

The bears were last seen darting into a greenbelt that runs along the Brunette River.

Police are taking the opportunity to remind residents to beware now that it is bear season.

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"Please remember to keep your garbage in sealed containers and do nothing that might encourage bears to hang around residential areas. Bears will always come back to places where there is ready access to food, and careless storage of garbage, barbeques and pet food create opportunities for foraging that they find hard to resist," said RCMP Cpl. David Reid.

"They may be beautiful to look at, but they are wild animals and 'up close and personal' is not advisable. An important thing to remember is that while some people think of bears in the neighborhood as quaint or picturesque, police or conservation officers might have to resort to destroying the bears if they continue to get too close to homes or schools."