The victims of a burglary in Deal’s Davis Avenue have said they feel scared and violated.

The family, who do not want to be named, say they were targeted overnight on Wednesday, April 1.

The burglar stole only one thing, a handbag, but the theft went unnoticed until the next day.

The Davis Avenue resident said: “I got a call from my wife who told me that she couldn’t find her handbag. Had I picked it up? Did I know where it was? I replied to her it must be somewhere, had she looked everywhere around the house?

“We were doubting each other and our children. Then it dawned that it had been taken, but how? We could not comprehend.”

“They violated our peace. It has affected us inside, deep inside. We feel scared, violated, useless, pathetic and more, much more.” - Davis Avenue resident

The man left work and returned home to his wife. They scoured the house, double and triple checking everywhere, even the garden.

He said: “We were facing the real frightening thought that someone had entered our home and lifted my wife’s handbag and the most awful thought is that they did this while we were in.”

The couple decided to contact the police as well as various others including their insurance, bank and a locksmith.

He said: “We were going into shock, shaking, angry. We kept trying to recall what had happened from the previous evening to the morning. I, on almost every occasion, lock the front, bolt the back gate and lock our shed. I am always conscious about our security.”

The man said he is renowned for double checking everything.

He questioned: “But do you need to lock up when you’re at home, awake and mobile and active?

“One lapse in our security, our movements seen from outside and an opportunist thief took not only the handbag but a part of our life away.”

He said: “They violated our peace. It has affected us inside, deep inside. We feel scared, violated, useless, pathetic and more, much more.”

The couple are appealing for residents to look in their gardens for the bag or purse. If they find anything contact the police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A spokesman said: “Officers are investigating a report of a burglary in Davis Avenue. It is believed to have taken place overnight between April 1 and April 2.

"Crime scene investigators have attended the address and inquiries are ongoing.”