A young family have been left homeless after callous thieves broke in and flooded their County Durham home over Christmas.
The family, who have a two-year-old daughter, had been away visiting relatives over Christmas when their home in Blackmoor Close, Darlington, was targeted by burglars.
It is believed that at some point on Christmas Eve, suspects not only ransacked the entire house, but cruelly blocked the sinks and left the taps running, causing the house to flood and ceilings to collapse.
Read more: Woman who uses wheelchair and zimmer frame jailed for stabbing girlfriend in back
Several personal items were also stolen from the property, including a TV, an Xbox, and a PlayStation.
Photographs of the scene in the Darlington home show significant damage having been incurred upon the property and the damage to the ceilings.
PC Stefan Haynes, from Darlington Volume Crime Team condemned the shocking acts of those involved, calling the incident "utterly appalling" and urged anyone with information to come forward.
He said: “This is an utterly appalling incident which has completely destroyed a young family’s home, leaving them with nowhere to live. Whoever is responsible should be ashamed of themselves.
“I would like to make an appeal to anyone who has been in the area over recent days to think back - have you seen anyone acting suspiciously? Did you hear or see anything unusual?
“If you have any information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be, please come forward and speak to us – sometimes, even the smallest detail can progress our investigation and help us bring those responsible to justice.”
Anyone with any information that could help the investigation is asked to contact PC Haynes at Stefan.Haynes@durham.police.uk quoting incident number 244 of December 28.
Alternatively, information can be passed on to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Read next:
- Ponteland pensioner admits smothering her 81-year-old husband after a disagreement over finances
- Stakeford pervert jailed for attempted rape and sexual assault of two schoolgirls
- Kind woman sexually assaulted by North Shields man she allowed to stay at her home for the night
- £1m Roker explosion victim lost everything and cat died when neighbour cut gas pipe and flicked lighter
- Elswick thug attacked girlfriend with mop handle and smashed through her window armed with a knife
