Video of a masked man with a hammer stealing a miniature dachshund has been released by police in a bid to find the animal and return it to its owners.

Essex Police are appealing for help locating 16-month-old Twiglet, who was stolen from her home in Catmere End in Saffron Walden at around 3pm on Wednesday.

CCTV captures the moment the intruder, who was wearing a black face mask and grey high-vis jacket, made off with the animal.

After the man entered, burglar alarms sounded and the dog began barking and panicking.

The intruder appeared to grab her and wrestled the crying dog to the ground before picking her up and making off with her.

At one point he appeared to clamp the creature’s jaws shut to stop her barking.

Detective Inspector Jamie Stirland said: “This burglary has been incredibly distressing for the victims and, as the public can imagine, they just want to see the safe return of Twiglet.

“Thefts such as these are rare and we are taking this investigation seriously and carrying out multiple inquiries, including reviewing CCTV in the area.

“We are appealing to anyone who may have any information to contact us and assist with this investigation.

“I am also directly appealing to the man in this video, asking him to return Twiglet safely.”

No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with information such as relevant CCTV or dashcam footage can contact the force on 101 or report it online.