HOUSEHOLDERS have been warned to be on their guard after brazen thieves marched into a family home at breakfast time, stole a purse and camera and then made off with car keys and a car parked feet from the back door.

Veterinary nurse Samantha Collins said the worst aspect of the raid at her home in Myrtle Avenue, Bingley, was that the camera contained nine months’ worth of irreplaceable photographs of her children.

“It’s not nice, it’s nightmarish,” said and mum-of-three Mrs Collins, who is pregnant.

“All I hope is that someone might find the camera and hand it in.

“It’s worthless as an item, but it’s got all our holiday photographs and much more stored in it and we can never get those images back.”

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Mrs Collins, who works part time at Aireworth Vets in Keighley, said on Tuesday morning just before 6am her husband, Adam, had got up for work and gone out to the car, which was parked in their narrow back street between Bradford Road and Myrtle Park.

“He came back in, put the keys on the kitchen table, made his breakfast and went into the living room,” she said.

“Somebody must have watched him and then they sneaked in through the unlocked door, grabbed the keys and and my brightly-coloured shoulder bag and then jumped in our car and made off.

“Adam went to work without realising what had happened and the first I knew something was wrong was at about 8am when my bank texted me to ask about two transactions – a contactless card purchase at a Co-op of about £20 and other £20 to a mobile phone company.

“Well of course everything then became a bit horrific. Luckily everything’s insured, but we had to get all the locks changed straightaway as they’d taken the house keys too – and that cost £200.

“I rang the police and I have to say they were here very quickly within ten minutes of the call. Our car, a silver Vauxhall Vectra, was caught on CCTV leaving Bingley at about 6am and was found on Wednesday in Idle and it’s said two men were seen dumping it.

“It’s really shocking that thieves are just roaming the streets.

“I’ve lived here all my life and grew up in Sycamore Avenue and it’s a lovely part of Bingley with a really nice community.

“It wouldn’t have occurred to me, or my husband to lock the back door if we were downstairs. But of course we will now – everyone should.”

Mrs Collins’ stolen camera is a black Sony X800.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman urged anyone with information to call 101.