A FAMILY were left horrified after their home was burgled while they were sleeping.

The 47-year-old mother, from Basildon, was alarmed by her dog’s strange behaviour after the thief forced entry into their home on Menzies Avenue; getting away with a Playstation, its accessories, a Louis Vuitton handbag, headphones and a bag containing car keys and credit cards.

The mother of three said: “We are absolutely mortified, it’s an invasion of all of our privacy.

“I woke up at 2.30am to the dog licking my face. He was walking restlessly in circles and kept sitting upright like he was scared, staring at my bedroom door. I wish I’d have seen the signs then but I didn’t think anything of it at the time.

“My son came downstairs in the morning and asked where his Playstation was – he thought I’d hid it!

"When my daughter complained she couldn’t find her handbag and I saw the broken front door handle, it dawned on me.

“I felt sick when I realised, I didn’t eat all day. I’ve been beating myself up thinking how didn’t I realise, it’s been going over and over in my head.

“Just knowing that someone has been in your home and gotten away with your belongings is disgusting. I haven’t been sleeping and have been up all night waiting at the door with a baseball bat in case they come back to take the car.

“Thank god my youngest, whose 15, was at his dads at the time. My daughter, whose 26, my son, whose 24, and his partner were all asleep but nobody heard anything. I’m the only one who sleeps with the door open.”

After realising, the family changed all the locks and cancelled the stolen credit cards.

She continued: “The guy opposite to us has infrared cameras which the police are going to check.

“One of our friends up the road found the letter which I’d left on top of the Playstation on their driveway, so they weren’t that careful.”

A police spokesperson said: “We were called on Thursday, May 16, with reports of a burglary in Menzies Avenue, Basildon.

“Anyone with information is asked to call Southend CID on 101 quoting crime reference 42/76205/19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”